ESIO TROT

Enamored of Mrs. Silver, who tends her adored turtle, Alfie, on the balcony beneath the one attached to his own fiat, shy old Mr. Hoppy finds a unique way to woo her: he comes up with a "magic" spell (an ordinary message spelled backwards) that he claims will make Alfie grow as she desires, then makes it appear efficacious by a laborious scheme of replacing Alfie with other turtles in graduated sizes. It works; they marry; and the original Alfie is among those who live happily ever after—but in a new home. This rather tame offering is far less wicked, and less funny, than most of Dahl's books; even Blake's deftly penned illustrations are less amusing than his best work. An acceptable book for younger readers.