For those wondering exactly what “saving for a rainy day” means, Mitchell has a swell story that explains it all. Eb Overall lived in a shack above the town of Dry Gulch. It was Eb’s way to horde things: piles of lumber and barrels of nails, stacks of shingles and tarpaper—even the nuggets of gold he found prospecting, but he didn’t tell anyone about those. When his friends asked about all the stuff, Eb noted he was saving it for a rainy day. However, rain was in short supply in Dry Gulch, hence the name. Then one day, sure as the water cycle, came the deluge. The rain quickly became torrents in the once-dry streambeds—“gullywashers,” as they are known in the Southwest—and Dry Gulch got drenched and demolished. Those gullywashers had a gift though, all of Eb’s stashed goods, carried down on the flood and quickly put to good use rebuilding the town. Those gold nuggets, too, would make life a lot easier for the townsfolk. Moreover, Eb, generous to the end, gave it all to the citizens of Dry Gulch. He’d been saving it for a rainy day: “You never know what will happen.” Just so. Chartier’s grand, overstuffed art gives Eb the mythic dimension he deserves, yet best of all is knowing that packrats of the world may rejoice—Eb “You Never Know When It Will Come In Handy” Overall is your vindication, and his willingness to share his goods makes him a shining example. This would go nicely with George Ella Lyon’s Come a Tide (1990) (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-56397-123-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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