Fighting Words - Hardcover

Merriam, Eve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068809676X ISBN 13: 9780688096762

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1992

Envious of each other's individual traits and circumstances, two friends meet for a "fight"--a shouting match of interesting words such as lummox, kinkajou, and balderdash

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From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 4 --Dale and Leda are best enemies. Since the grass is indeed always greener . . . the children are each envious of the very things that the other perceives as misfortune. They meet halfway between Dale's country and Leda's city home, square off to do battle, and let the insults fly. The two larger-than-life cartoon figures proceed on an energetic romp through the city streets, a sports stadium, the zoo, across the river, and into the countryside hurling hilarious and often outrageous epithets back and forth. While the invectives are truly inventive and amusing, they are all harmless and in good fun. Merriam shares with readers that ``All these fighting words live happily, harmoniously together in the Oxford English Dictionary and in Webster's Unabridged.'' The youngsters take center stage in the quirky pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings with perfect facial expressions to match each verbal assault; the miniature urban and rural landscapes seem to be populated with action figures and littered with matchbox vehicles. Of course, the combatants shake hands, compliment one another on `` `. . . a good fight,' '' and agree to meet again soon. A sly and silly salute to the power of words.
- Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Dale, on his toy-sized farm, glares across the river at Leda, who stands tall as a skyscraper in her city. Each is jealous of the other (``Leda hates Dale. He...can ride a horse.'' ``Dale wishes he had hair like Leda's''). Agreeing to meet for a fight, they hurl colorful insults, beginning with ``oaf'' and ``dolt'' and going on to ``nincompoop'' and ``blunderbuss'' as they scamper through a city bristling with visual references to conflict (``Brut for Men,'' a police car leading a military parade, ``Rambo,'' a smoke-breathing dragon, etc.), through a baseball game (``Dale winds up and lets go. NINNY''), and on to the zoo (``dodo,'' ``booby'') until, with both hoarse, their quarrel dwindles away (``picayune,'' ``pip-squeak''). Poet Merriam, who has assembled this intriguing string of epithets, weaves them creatively into an amusing scenario; but Small's vigorously drawn illustrations, which cleverly contrive to celebrate the richness of the language while humorously deprecating the activity, steal the show. (Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright �1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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