That Pesky Toaster - Hardcover

Hillman, Ben

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786820284 ISBN 13: 9780786820283

Publisher: Hyperion

Synopsis

Goldie's toaster, supposedly fixed by the toaster man, pops up a galaxy that collapses into a black hole and leaves Goldie and Gus, the next morning, in a world turned inside out.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In this disjointed, pseudo-science fiction yarn, MTV Liquid Television cartoonist Hillman introduces a sturdy, babushka-wearing baker named Goldie, her undershirted, five-o'clock-shadowed husband, Gus, and the eponymous appliance, which stands on four bulldog-type legs. Goldie, presiding over a rural cottage that houses a rackful of lethal-looking kitchen implements, yells, "Banzai!" as she violently slices some bread and loads it into her toaster. But the ornery appliance spits out a galaxy, which whirls around the pantry. Goldie and her broom follow in hot pursuit-"I smacked it so hard, the varmint crashed into total astrophysical collapse!" A black hole results, which Gus accidentally ingests when it hides in his bumbleberry pie. The next morning, "the universe was turned inside out," and the sun rises in the west. Maybe it's the black hole's fault, but this tale is mightily confusing. Its assorted styles never coalesce into a logical (or even illogical) whole. Although Hillman's homespun ink, gouache and oil illustrations convey his SF-meets-folklife intent, their approach, like the tale's, seems scattershot. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-4?This completely surreal picture book takes a few read-throughs to fully appreciate its way-out humor. Goldie, the house-frau heroine, describes her berserk toaster that just came back from the repair shop. Now, instead of toast, it spits out a galaxy. The woman proceeds to smash the galaxy to shreds, turning it into a black hole, which finally settles in a bumbleberry pie. When husband Gus sits down to a generous serving of pie (in a particularly frightening illustration), the black hole swallows him up, and the house, and the earth! In a final scene, Goldie is just glad there's a warranty on the toaster. If the story is not bizarre enough, combine it with Hillman's imaginative illustrations. Goldie uses a hand drill to make air holes in the pie crust, wears a welder's mask out to the bread oven behind the house, and keeps geese inside. She and Gus use expletives like, "Banzai!" "Mother McCree!" "Oy Vey!" and "Wunderbar!" Some of this book is scary, some of it is zany, but mostly it is just weird.?Lynn Cockett, Nutley Public Library, NJ
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hyperion
• ISBN 10: 0786820284
• ISBN 13: 9780786820283
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1