In the late-19th century, Lucretia Hale’s hilarious Peterkin Papers followed the misadventures of a family who were the ancestors of The Stupids and Amelia Bedelia. Spurr and Halperin have already adapted The Peterkins’ Christmas (2004)—their light touch and whimsical illustrations are just what are needed to bring this holiday into the realm of the silly. Thanksgiving dinner gets stuck in the dumbwaiter; Amanda the cook can move it neither up nor down. The family (parents, Agamemnon, Solomon John, Elizabeth Eliza and the three Little Boys) troops down to the kitchen, but that doesn’t help. Pickaxes are mentioned. So is tea, but no one wants to spoil their appetites. Finally, the carpenter comes, after his own dinner, and rearranges the weight, which is just what is needed. The hapless Peterkins will have children screaming with laughter—and telling them what to do—while they absorb a certain amount of information about how dumbwaiters work and what it is like to have the kitchen downstairs and dinner served to you. The Lady from Philadelphia, who usually unties the Peterkins’ Gordian knots, is offstage here, the recipient of Elizabeth Eliza’s missives. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-689-84142-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2005
Categories: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
Did you like this book?
The leaves have changed, Thanksgiving nears—and the canny turkeys of Squawk Valley have decamped, leaving local residents to face the prospect of a birdless holiday. What to do? They decide to lure a bird back by appealing to its vanity, placing a want ad for a model to help sculptors creating turkey art, then “inviting” the bird to dinner. The ploy works, too, for out of the woods struts plump and perky Pete to take on the job. Shelly debuts with brightly hued cartoon scenes featuring pop-eyed country folk and deceptively silly-looking gobblers. Pete may be vain, but he hasn’t lost the wiliness of his wild ancestors; when the townsfolk come for him, he hides amidst a flock of sculpted gobblers—“There were turkeys made of spuds, / there were turkeys made of rope. / There were turkeys made of paper, / there were turkeys made of soap. / The room was full of turkeys / in a wall to wall collage. / For a clever bird like Pete / it was perfect camouflage.” He makes his escape, and is last seen lounging on a turkey-filled tropical beach as the disappointed Squawk Valleyites gather round the table for a main course of . . . shredded wheat. Good for a few giggles. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-890817-91-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
Categories: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
Did you like this book?
A club-shaped pumpkin gets dissed by a customer, all the other pumpkins, even twisted apple trees, before the sight of a motley crop of hubbards, acorns and banana squash brings on a personal epiphany: “O my gosh / I’m a squash.” Endowed with a face and stick limbs, the gnarled narrator sits down at a Thanksgiving table with its new soulmates, then is last seen strolling down the lane hand in hand with a lumpy new friend. Written in doggerel—“A skeleton came for pumpkins / one bright and crispy day. / I asked if I could get a ride . . . / He laughed and said: No Way”—and illustrated in brightly colored paint-and-paper collage, this weak riff on the “Ugly Duckling” may not earn high marks for botanical accuracy (all pumpkins are squash), but it does feature plenty of visual flash. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-399-24267-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Categories: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
