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The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
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You Are Here: Books About Antiques > Blue Books > Item 413 of 480
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$9.01
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Available from Amazon
Price Last Updated : 7-30-2008
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Features
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Candlewick August 19, 2004
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763625949
ASIN: B000PGTEOC
Product Dimensions:
11.4 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 1-5–A comically dense couple named Horace and Glenda Pork-Fowler (a pig and a goose, of course) receives an invitation from Dr. Hunter, the new owner of Eatum Hall, "…for a weekend of free gourmet food!" Exclamation points abound in this pun-filled excursion to an English manor that's crammed with all sorts of ominous items, including knives, axes, oil paintings of animals being devoured by wolves, and a Walter Crane portrait of Red Riding Hood. High tech mixes with an old-fashioned mystery as the food-loving couple is instructed by the absent host to partake in "…a fully automated dining experience." Robotic devices serve the Pork-Fowlers delicious meals, but observant readers will catch glimpses of other machines designed for more predatory uses. In the end, the Pork-Fowlers are saved by their own oblivious gluttony, a fitting conclusion to this delightful story. The digitally created pictures have an impressionistic quality that lends a look of unpolished spontaneity. There's beautiful use of color and exaggeration of all sorts to add atmosphere. A wealth of visual and verbal details will engage children on many levels. Clever and fun.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)
No one has ever been able to explain sufficiently to me why it is that some picture books receive all the press and fanfare of that of a shuttle takeoff while other mosey quietly onstage and off in relative obscurity. "The Mystery of Eatum Hall" belongs firmly in the latter category, and this is a shame. The book has a distinctly British tenor to it. A kind of Edward Gorey (yes, I know he was American) meets "Wind In the Willows" feel. While some children may prefer their picture books to end on a somewhat less gruesome note, I believe firmly that for the kid with a mildly twisted sense of humor, no book can serve them better than this moderately dark picture book. A great comeuppance on behalf of all the Red Riding Hoods of the world. Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler (an ostrich-like bird and pig, respectively) are not particularly surprised when they receive a summons in the mail. But then, they're really not the kinds of animals to be surprised by anything. The note comes from the mysterious Mr. Hunter who recently purchased nearby Eatum Hall. In it, the two are invited to a delightful week-end of food tasting, courtesy of Mr. Hunter himself. Ever fans of the gastronomic, the two pack their bags and head to the mysterious Hall. Once there, they find their host missing, but mechanical servants present who can attend their every whim. Though there's something distinctly creepy about the place (the eyes in portraits follow the two everywhere, certain rooms in the home are always locked, and the bed seems to be some kind of scale) the two don't feel even a twinge of misgivings regarding their absent "friend". It's only when Mr. Hunter's mysterious plans go a little too right that our friends return home happy (if somewhat larger) while Hunter's fate is reminiscent of the wolf in the original Grimm telling of The Three Little Pigs. Oh, why be coy? I'll just come out and say it. He gets eaten. Baked into a pie and devoured (we can only assume) by other wolves who are last seen cutting into the large steaming dessert. Is it a somewhat macabre ending to a somewhat macabre tale? Most certainly. Kelly and Tincknell have no qualms about foreshadowing Glenda and Horace's potential fate left right and center. Though they cannot, sharp eyed readers will see the flit of a wolfy tail disappear out of one picture or view the two charming guests through far reaching binoculars. Hunter is never seen clearly front and center, but you have no difficulty figuring out what he's up to. The illustrations are digitally created, which may strike the viewer as odd on first glance. Though the pictures are beautiful, they seem like nothing so much as thick gouache or possibly acrylic paints. There's nothing to suggest that these are pictures drawn, "freehand onscreen" in any way. This is for the best. You wouldn't want to read a story of this nature if it looked like it came from the same universe as "Finding Nemo". The story is certainly British through and through as well. The humor's just a bit too sardonic to be taken for something American. Also, there are hints of British culture scattered hither and thither. The fact that they are going to a Hall. The name of the Pork-Fowler (love the hyphen) home is Dun Fastin (ho ho!). Things of that nature. Is this going to be a beloved book in the home though? Will your children clamor for it to be read again and again to them? No idea. Certainly I realized rather quickly that this was not going to be a good title to read aloud to large groups. It's too difficult to point out all the clever details and tiny words scattered about the pages. No, this is a book for a very particular kind of child and a very particular kind of adult. If you've a kid who laughs uproariously at old Charles Addams comics, this is the book for them. It's dark, but in all the right ways.
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The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell
Available from Amazon
Price: $9.01
on 7-30-2008
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