From School Library Journal
PreSchool-KAAs soon as Mrs. Nelly McNosh pushes a seed into the soil, it starts to grow into a fat and bumpy squash. It rolls out of the garden flattening the cat, crashing through the clothesline, knocking over trash cans, and scaring the pants off two elderly gents. "Poor Nelly was worried./She said, 'Oh my gosh,/there's got to be some way/to slow down this squash." After wondering what to do with the huge vegetable, the woman has an idea. She scoops and scrapes all night long, and when morning comes, she is curled up in a chair sleeping in her new squash house. This simple plot does not develop the tensions or motivations needed for a satisfying story. Why, for example, did Mrs. McNosh work desperately all night long to make a new house? The rhyming text creates a lighthearted bounce, but some of the rhymes seem forced. The watercolor-and-ink cartoon illustrations provide humor and a clear sense of action and movement. Perhaps some young listeners will enjoy the silliness of a giant, out-of-control plant tamed for a cozy place to sleep, but the undeveloped story line will limit the book's general appeal.Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 3-5. The winsome star of Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash (1998) is back in another slapstick adventure, set this time in the garden. The minute Mrs. Nelly McNosh plants a squash seed, the plant starts to grow at an alarming rate. It rumbles out of the yard and into the neighborhood, leaving a flattened cat, scattered laundry, and terrified neighbors in its wake. Mrs. McNosh stops the squash by snapping the stem but wonders what to do with a vegetable "as big as a house." "Wait," she says, "that's it." And after hollowing out the insides, she falls asleep in her new veggie home. Westcott's illustrations, in her usual cheerful brights, extend the text's silliness; when the squash scares "the pants off two elderly gents," the picture shows the men literally leaping from their trousers and fleeing in polka-dot boxers. The rhyming, rollicking text tells an infectious story that will remind children of other enormous vegetable tales, as well as stories of making a home in strange objects, such as Margaret Read MacDonald's The Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle. A great choice for giggly story hours. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Your 3-year-old loves the silliness of outrageous stories.Tips for reading and sharing:Your child will also love Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her WashAsk your child to describe the story by looking at the picturesMake up other silly events that could happen in the story
About the Author
Sarah Weeks is the singer, songwriter, and author of the best-selling picture books Crocodile Smile, Piece of Jungle and Follow the Moon, a middle-grade novel, Regular Guy, as well as the groundbreaking book with CD-ROM Little Factory. She also wrote lyrics for the 1997 hit Disney video Pooh's Grand Adventure. She lives in New York City with her two sons.
Mrs. Mcnosh and the Great Big Squash FROM THE PUBLISHER
Your 3-year-old loves the silliness of outrageous stories.
Tips for reading and sharing:
Your child will also love Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash
Ask your child to describe the story by looking at the pictures
Make up other silly events that could happen in the story
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
PreS-K--As soon as Mrs. Nelly McNosh pushes a seed into the soil, it starts to grow into a fat and bumpy squash. It rolls out of the garden flattening the cat, crashing through the clothesline, knocking over trash cans, and scaring the pants off two elderly gents. "Poor Nelly was worried./She said, `Oh my gosh,/there's got to be some way/to slow down this squash." After wondering what to do with the huge vegetable, the woman has an idea. She scoops and scrapes all night long, and when morning comes, she is curled up in a chair sleeping in her new squash house. This simple plot does not develop the tensions or motivations needed for a satisfying story. Why, for example, did Mrs. McNosh work desperately all night long to make a new house? The rhyming text creates a lighthearted bounce, but some of the rhymes seem forced. The watercolor-and-ink cartoon illustrations provide humor and a clear sense of action and movement. Perhaps some young listeners will enjoy the silliness of a giant, out-of-control plant tamed for a cozy place to sleep, but the undeveloped story line will limit the book's general appeal.-Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
