Blackberry Hollow - Hardcover

Peabody, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399225005 ISBN 13: 9780399225000

Publisher: Philomel Books, 1993

Synopsis

Disturbed by the mournful bagpipe bellowing of Tom McPaddy, the inhabitants of Blackberry Hollow discover that the frog yearns to return to his old home in the Scottish bogs and try to find a solution to his problem.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

In generously open format recalling animal fantasy classics, with appealing drawings in the manner of E. H. Shepard on most spreads, episodes loosely linked by the yearning of the one outsider in a cozy animal community to return to his native Scotland. As he explains in a brogue-laced chapter, frog Tom McPaddy came as a stowaway on the Bonny Bannock; hearing his bagpipes but unable to find the piper, its crew imagined they had a ``bogle'' aboard. Cranky Jeremy Field Mouse finds Tom's piping unbearable; but the other animals, organized by storekeeper Parnassus Jubb, a bear, rally for a friendly send-off, and Tom is wafted homeward via his own bagpipes, inflated extra large. The author has a pleasantly colorful vocabulary and beguiling voice that must have served him well in his career as a puppeteer; but in the absence of much real characterization in the skit-like incidents early on, they're not quite enough to sustain interest. Still, things perk up when the amiable Parnassus takes center stage; he's a warmhearted charmer who even gives the mice plenty of warning before entering his own pantry (though his rescue of an injured bird does recall Stuart Little, and the gingerbread and cocoa with which he plies his friends begins to cloy). Not a first purchase, but a book that reads well aloud, and that avid animal fantasy fans will probably enjoy. (Fiction. 8-11) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-In a book that brings the Hundred Acre Wood to mind-even down to the maps on the endpapers-Peabody has created a rustic world called Blackberry Hollow. It is inhabited by Jeremy Field Mouse; Parnassus, a burly bear storekeeper; Major, a big brown horse; Tom McPaddy, a Scottish frog; and Mr. Kip, a raccoon, among others. The seven chapters are episodic and stand alone, each one revolving around a couple of the Hollow's residents. The pages are graced by numerous truly charming pen-and-ink drawings. The layout is appealing and the large trim-size and typeface are ideal. However, some of the vocabulary might prove difficult for young readers, and they might have a hard time deciphering Tom McPaddy's dialect on their own. Also, the old-fashioned and rather strained charm of the stories makes this an unlikely choice for independent readers; as a read-aloud, it's a little slow, for the adventures themselves are not as fresh, funny, or engaging as those found in Milne's books or in The Wind in the Willows.
Vanessa Elder, School Library Journal
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0399225005
• ISBN 13: 9780399225000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 147