One Present from Flekman's - Hardcover

Arkin, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060245301 ISBN 13: 9780060245306

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

Synopsis

As a treat, Grandpa tells Molly she can have one present from Flekman's. Just one. But Flekman's has everything: stuffed camels and stuffed bears, dolls that walk and dolls that wet, indoor games and outdoor games. How can Molly choose only one present?

Molly decides to try out a few toys. First she chooses a bear and takes it for a walk -- not quite right. Then decides on a camra -- so it takes pictures, so what? Pretty soon Grandpa finds her dressed as a pirate, piling up toys like a treasure. Then, when Flekman's Feaver is at its highest, Molly comes up with a crafty solution to her problim. What will Grandpa do when Molly decides she wants it all, she wants everything, she wants Flekman's!

As a treat, Grandpa tells Molly she can have one present from Flekmans. Just one. But Flekmans has everything: stuffed camels and stuffed bears, dolls that walk and wet, indoor games and outdoor games. How can Molly choose only one present? She wants EVERYTHING! As Flekman fever rises, Molly is swinging from the chandeliers and Grandpa is tied up in knots until Molly finally finds a crafty solution to her problem.

About this title

About the Author:

Alan Arkin was born in New York and attended Los Angeles City College and Bennington College. He is an award-winning actor and author who has starred in films, plays, and television shows. His books include: The Lemming Condition, The Clearing, and Some Fine Grandpa! He lives in Weston, CT.

Richard Egielski is the Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator of Hey, Al and many other books for children, including the Tub People series by Pam Conrad. He is also the author and illustrator of Buz and Jazper, both New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Three Magic Balls, and The Gingerbread Boy. Mr. Egielski lives in Milford, New Jersey, with his wife and son.

From Publishers Weekly:

Arkin (The Lemming Condition) offers a pressure-cooker comedy about the dangers of indecision and greed. Molly's Grampa suggests a trip to Flekman's, "the biggest toy store in the world." It's a fabulous idea, except for the catch: " 'Maybe I'll get some toys there,' said Molly. 'Maybe you'll get one toy there,' said Grampa." Molly pretends to accept this bargain, and the two soon stroll into showrooms teeming with games, dolls and other enticements. As Grampa fiercely sticks to his one-present limit, Molly devises wily strategies: she outfits one teddy bear with a host of auxiliary toys, requests one bag packed with playthings and finally decides she'd like Flekman's itself ("It's one thing, isn't it?"). Grampa finally loses his cool (in the neurotic fashion of most Alan Arkin movie roles). Meanwhile, Molly succumbs to a rare case of "Flekmanitis"Amore like Flekmanic-depressionAthat leaves her alternately berserk and stupefied. Caldecott winner Egielski (Hey, Al; Buz) punctuates the hectic narrative pace with mannerly vignettes and just a sprinkling of full-throttle action sequences. But the overflowing words often crowd the pictures off the pages; the illustrations get smaller as the tension rises. Even for satire, this humor has an unpleasant edgeAMolly's behavior is more embarrassing than amusing. The denouement, in which Molly settles on a washcloth, feels medicinal, and the finale, in which Molly's ingenuity with the washcloth lands her a job at Flekman's, seems an attempt to scare up a happy ending. Ages 5-8. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0060245301
• ISBN 13: 9780060245306
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Egielski Richard