By internationally-acclaimed and Hans Christian Andersen award-winning author and poet. Artwork by highly praised illustrator, Polly Dunbar (winner of the Pre School Early Years Award and shortlisted for the Nestle Award for her latest book- Penguin.) From the team that produced the highly successful Down the Back of the Chair which has over 50,000 copies in print worldwide. Comic story and highly visual in beautifully rhythmic verse.
Margaret Mahy is acknowledged all over the world as one of the outstanding children's writers of today, and has published over 200 titles. Twice winner of the Carnegie Medal, several of her titles have become modern classics. In 2006 she was presented with the Hans Christian Andersen medal, which is the highest international recognition granted to authors and illustrators of children's books. She lives in New Zealand. Polly Dunbar was born in Stratford upon Avon. Daughter of children's author Joyce Dunbar, Polly first started illustrating when she was 16 and has a degree in Illustration at the University of Brighton. She lives in Brighton, Sussex. To visit Polly Dunbar's website click here To read an interview with Polly Dunbar click here
Gr 3-5-- Five preposterous stories and narrative poems depict some unusual domestic catastrophes and their creative solutions. ``Bubble Trouble'' deals with a bubble that wafts a baby up into the air until, finally, a pebble shot from a sling-shot (shades of Kahl's The Duchess Bakes a Cake Scribners, 1955; o.p.) brings the child to safety. Word play and alliteration make this nonsense verse a good read-aloud. In ``The Runaway Reptiles,'' an alligator and crocodile disguised as elderly grandparents by their caregivers meet over the back fence, fall in love, and elope. ``Hiccups'' tells, in lilting rhyme, about the transfer of a baby's hiccups to an unsuspecting granny. ``The Gargling Gorilla'' is another ludicrous tale of a young boy who is afraid of gorillas and imagines one hiding under the kitchen cupboard. Finally, ``The Springing Granny'' is a lighthearted verse about a woman who, in winter, creates her own tropical paradise until spring returns. Slight and contrived as these five pieces are, children who have mastered beginning readers may be tickled by the inventive words and zany situations. Sketchy line drawings in black-and-white look amateurish, but capture the craziness of the stories. Not a priority purchase, but harmless fun. --Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
The book shows the fun that can be had with language, and will be enjoyed by children over a wide age range. Polly Dunbar's illustrations support the text well, with clear characterisation and a wonderful array of facial expressions. Altogether this is a delight.
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