Toby, Where Are You? - Hardcover

Steig, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062050826 ISBN 13: 9780062050823

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

Toby loves hiding from his parents—upstairs, downstairs, just about anywhere. But when Toby begins to think that his parents will never find him, he just can’t stand it. ‘Here I am!’ he cries.

About this title

About the Authors

William Steig's drawings appeared regularly in The New Yorker since 1930. He also wrote and illustrated books for children, most recently his memoir, When Everybody Wore a Hat. His other books include Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, winner of the Caldecott Medal; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books; Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa; Pete's A Pizza; and Zeke Pippin.

Teryl Euvremer has written and illustrated several picture books. In addition to Toby, What Are You?, she is also the illustrator of Toby, Where Are You?, both by William Steig. She lives in Paris.

Reviews

PreS. Indulgent parents search the house for their young weasel until he pops up and makes his presence known. The soft-edged images and cozy text are as reassuring as the hugs and kisses at story's end.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Steig and Euvremer stage a classic game of hide-and-seek in a book that proves that even the simplest and most familiar of premises can yield original charms. A mother and father (of a furry, long-tailed, indeterminate species) search the house for their impish child; reflecting the right mixture of Toby's fantasy and the parents' willingness to enter into it, Steig's (The Toy Brother) text reports that the parents are "just a tiny bit worried." Readers, meanwhile, can spot Toby hiding in each cozily decorated setting, although they may have to look closely. The grinning creature chooses some goofily improbable undercover positions: he's pictured atop a table on all fours, replacing the base of a Tiffany lamp; perched on the rooftop, ostensibly imitating a weather vane; and nestled among the grapes in a fruit bowl. Euvremer's (Sun's Up) quasi-pointillist art is not without flaws-it's overlit and the draftsmanship is uneven. But the pictures are nevertheless as playful as the family they picture, and they capture Toby's innocent sense of mischief. Paired with Steig's pitch-perfect writing, they add up to an hide-and-seek entry worth searching for. All ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From early sunlit morning to candlelit evening, Toby's parents search for him throughout the house. It's all very cozy: They know he's hiding, and they're playing the game with him. Toby is in every picture--behind the fish tank, in the pantry, under the rug. When his parents finally give up, Toby leaps out from under the table, and gets ``quite a few kisses.'' Shown in a fuzzy kind of stippled color, this home is one any child might envy: dragons on the toy chest; sunflowers on the headboard; lively patterns on the rugs; and a profusion of plants, books, and playthings. The house and accoutrements have a vaguely Victorian feel, reflected in the mother's floor-length floral dress--although the father might be wearing Hush Puppies. The family, marmoset- or meerkat-like mammals, have furry features and long tails, which seem right for this soft-focus read-aloud. It's a charmer, for a younger audience than Steig's usual. (Picture book. 3-5) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 1^-4. In a classic picture-book story for the very young, a toddler hides from his loving parents, and they pretend to look for him all over the house. Toby is a cute rodent creature who lives with his very elegant parents in their gracious two-story home. Toby hides, and his parents seek in all the usual places--under the bed, behind the curtains, under the rug--but the pictures are full of surprises. He's not under the table; his head is in the fruit bowl. Could he be up on the bookshelf? No, of course not, but if you look closely, you'll see that the stand of the table-lamp is on the floor, and Toby is holding up the shade. Is he in the cooking pot on the stove? No, don't be silly, but he is in the pantry with the colander on his head. Toddlers will have fun with the interactive game and the cozy mischief. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062050826
• ISBN 13: 9780062050823
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Euvremer Teryl
• Number of pages: 28