More Rootabagas - Hardcover

Carl Sandburg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679800700 ISBN 13: 9780679800705

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1993

Synopsis

A selection of Sandburg's fanciful, humorous short stories peopled with such characters as the Potato Face Blind Man, Susan Slackentwist, and Dippy the Wisp.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

Three volumes of the ``American fairy tales'' the poet called ``Rootabaga Stories'' were published between 1922 and 1930; later, according to an introduction by Sandburg scholar George Hendrick, he wrote dozens more that have never been published. Here, Hendrick selects ten that ``most reflect Sandburg's incomparable storytelling magic.'' Favorite characters and places--``The Potato Face Blind Man,'' ``Ax Me No Questions,'' ``The Village of Liver and Onions''--join characters with names recalling Sandburg's children's nicknames (``Spink,'' ``Skabootch,'' ``Swipes'') and some grand new ones (one trio: ``Burnt Chestnuts,'' ``The Beans Are Burning,'' and ``Sweeter Than The Bees Humming''). For connoisseurs of Sandburg's uniquely whimsical and melodious use of the American idiom, these tales are a delight; the ruminative, ear-tickling repetitions, visual images, astonishing juxtapositions, airy surreal happenings, and sly metaphorical comments on human foibles are all here in strength. And Zelinsky's accomplishment is equally great. Using colored pencils on plastivellum drafting film, he mirrors and embellishes Sandburg's fantastical creations with enormous delicacy and imagination, providing dozens of delicious variations on the rutabaga theme (one becomes a coiled blue cat with downward-descending tail, others have fey creatures nestled in their greens), limning characters with characteristic energy, artfully manipulating the very text. His art for the last tale, where the poet makes a cameo appearance, is especially lovely and ingenious. Splendid in every way. (Fiction. 4+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

In his foreword, George Hendrick explains that Sandburg, searching for bedtime stories for his three daughters, lamented the lack of fairy tales native to this country. So the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and biographer of Abraham Lincoln wrote three volumes of his own, which he described as "tales with American fooling in them." There is indeed "fooling" and whimsy aplenty in the 10 previously unpublished tales collected in this cleverly designed, exquisitely illustrated book. In several (but disappointingly few) spots, the type is manipulated playfully around Zelinsky's wondrously inventive art, rendered colored pencil on plastivellum drafting film. Alliteration and clever--if decidedly unorthodox--word usage and sentence structure abound, as do such curious character names as Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, Dippy the Wisp and Sweeter Than the Bees Humming. This all makes for mellifluous, ear-pleasing passages when read aloud, though beginning readers may have trouble tackling some of the text-heavy pages, and may need help deciphering sentences such as "You give the horses many thoughtfuls, it seems to me." Few readers--or listeners--will easily forget Sandburg's unique characters--among them five whispering blue cats that seem to disappear when held up to the sky, a three-legged hat dancer and a green hat-eating horse. And visions of Zelinsky's magical renditions of each will linger equally long. All ages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0679800700
• ISBN 13: 9780679800705
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 94
• Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky