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CLARICE BEAN, THAT'S ME

Arch and precocious, but insidiously charming, Clarice Bean takes an unvarnished look at her family. Conventions of space, typeface, endpapers, and title pages have been dispensed with; Clarice’s relatives and madcap but affable household are created from a variety of fonts, collage effects, and stray bits of dialogue. Clarice shares a room with her little brother Minal (she dumps spaghetti on his head and muses that she should have put tapioca down his shorts) and comments on older sister Marcie’s boy-obsession and older brother Kurt’s penchant for being alone in a room “that smells of socks.” While her mother escapes with scented candles and language tapes in the tub, and her father has a big fancy office, Clarice amuses herself by cheating at cards with her grandfather, whose eyesight isn’t good. There is a sneaky sort of affection present, especially in the endpapers where the family gathers in assorted cozy positions with mordant commentary by Clarice; she could be Eloise, reincarnated for the millennium. Child may be aiming more at adults than at children, but today’s preternaturally ironic readers may find Clarice divine. (Picture book. 6-10)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-7636-0961-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999

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OWEN FOOTE, MONEY MAN

In his quest for easy moolah, Owen learns that the road to financial solvency can be rocky and fraught with work. Greene (Owen Foote, Soccer Star, 1998, etc.) touches upon the often-thorny issue of chores and allowances: Owen’s mom wants him to help out because he’s part of the family and not just for the money—while Owen wants the money without having to do tedious household chores. This universal dilemma leaves Owen without funds and eagerly searching for ways to make a quick buck. His madcap schemes range from original—a “free” toilet demonstration that costs 50 cents—to disastrous, as during the trial run of his children’s fishing video, Owen ends up hooking his ear instead of a trout. Enlisting the aid of his stalwart, if long-suffering, friend Joseph, the two form a dog-walking club that becomes vastly restricted in clientele after Owen has a close encounter with an incontinent, octogenarian canine. Ultimately, Owen learns a valuable lesson about work and money when an unselfish action is generously rewarded. These sudden riches motivate Owen to consider wiser investments for his money than plastic vomit. Greene’s crisp writing style and wry humor is on-target for young readers. Brief chapters revolving around a significant event or action and fast pacing are an effective draw for tentative readers. Weston’s (Space Guys!, p. 392, etc.) black-and-white illustrations, ranging in size from quarter- to full-page, deftly portray Owen’s humorous escapades. A wise, witty addition to Greene’s successful series. (Fiction. 8-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2000

ISBN: 0-618-02369-0

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000

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KING MIDAS AND THE GOLDEN TOUCH

PLB 0-688-13166-2 King Midas And The Golden Touch ($16.00; PLB $15.63; Apr.; 32 pp.; 0-688-13165-4; PLB 0-688-13166-2): The familiar tale of King Midas gets the golden touch in the hands of Craft and Craft (Cupid and Psyche, 1996). The author takes her inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling, capturing the essence of the tale with the use of pithy dialogue and colorful description. Enchanting in their own right, the illustrations summon the Middle Ages as a setting, and incorporate colors so lavish that when they are lost to the uniform gold spurred by King Midas’s touch, the point of the story is further burnished. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-688-13165-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999

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