Picture Books ages 4-8
The Topsy-Turvies by Francesca Simon. Illustrated by Keren Ludlow
Some Smug Slug by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Illustrated by Henry Cole
No Jumping on the Bed written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold
NOTES FROM THE WINDOWSILL ISSN 1078-8697
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Vol. 4, No. 7b Picture Books, ages 4-8 7/18/96
__ The Topsy-Turvies_ by Francesca Simon. Illustrated by Keren Ludlow.
Dial, 1996 (0-8037-1969-8) $14.99
It starts out as an ordinary day in the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Topsy-Turvey and their children Fern and Vern--which means that they
all get up at midnight, change into their pajamas and go upstairs to
the bedroom to have dinner. In the morning, they change into their
coats to go to bed on the kitchen counters. But that afternoon while
they're sleeping, there's a knock on the door; their neighbor, Mrs.
Plum, needs a babysitter. The Topsy-Turvey's are glad to help out,
even though poor Mrs. Plum's house is a mess and her daughter Lucy is
terribly naughty, wanting to draw on paper instead of the walls.
Generously, they fix up the house, instruct Lucy in proper behavior,
and even try to entertain the unexpected guest with the mask and bag
who comes through the kitchen window. And though Fern is upset when
Mrs. Plum forgets to thank them for fixing up her house, Mr. Topsy-
Turvey reminds her, "it takes all sorts to make a world."
Although the upside-down family is hardly a new concept in children's
books--James Marshall's "Stupids" and Dav Pilkey's "Dumb Bunnies" are
probably the best known in the genre--this version is unusual in
actually having a plot. The confused but tolerant attitude of the
Topsy-Turveys as they try to deal with the normal world is funny and
satisfying. It's also comfortably reassuring that Mrs. Plum blames
the "unexpected guest" for the state of her house, so the story can
end without acrimony. The pictures could use more of the loveable
qualities of Marshall's, or even Pilkey's work, but they are quite
clever, mixing an extremely conventional "doll-house family" look with
an undefinable touch of oddity.
__ Some Smug Slug_ by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Illustrated by Henry Cole.
HarperCollins, 1996 (0-06-024789-4) $14.95
Taking a very playful look at natural history, this story describes
what happens when a slug slithers up a slope, completely ignoring the
warning screams of a sparrow, shrieks of a spider and snickers of a
skink. But the self-satisfied slug is in for quite a surprise, when
the slope turns out to be a giant, hungry toad. An almost-completely
alliterative text is a fun introduction to that form of wordplay, as
well as a great vocabulary-builder; beginning readers may find it an
exciting challenge. Cole's watercolors are faithful depictions of
nature, with the addition of some expressive smiles for the smug slug
and the satiated toad.
__ No Jumping on the Bed_ written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold. Dial,
1987; Puffin, 1996 (0-14-055839-X) $4.99 pb
What would happen if the absurd warnings that parents sometimes give
children really came true? Walter finds out one night, when he
disobeys his father and jumps on the bed--and sure enough, his bed
goes crashing through the floor, right onto his neighbor's spaghetti
dinner! Next thing he knows, Walter is falling through every floor of
his building, taking his neighbors and their possessions right along
with him.
This book is a hilarious surreal adventure, with the accumulating
chaos and the different matter-of-fact reactions of the neighbors
making each fall funnier than the last. The pictures are full of
delicious detail, like the surprised look on the face of a t.v.
monster as the set falls with Walter; a few floors later, the monster
is covering his eyes in terror. It's all too wonderfully messy to
really seem scary and readers will probably be more inclined to wish
it could really happen than to take away any moral.