Mavis and Merna - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0888996470 ISBN 13: 9780888996473

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2005

Synopsis

Ian Wallace has created a very beautiful book in which he explores the relationship between a young girl and a young widow.

Merna was married to the owner of Gully’s store. Located on the main street of a small town on the ocean shore, Gully’s sells everything from shoes, to wax, to matches, to rain gear. A little girl, Mavis, would like to buy everything in the store.

But when Merna’s husband suddenly dies, she holds a wake in the store, then closes it down indefinitely. Mavis’s parents speculate that Merna must have inherited a fortune. Mavis goes over to Merna’s house to see if she can spot evidence of this fortune. But instead of finding money she finds a lifelong friendship. Finally after many years, Mavis and Merna re-open Gully’s which has now become almost a museum of wonders.

This touching, gentle story of loss and the healing power of friendship and life in a small town is Ian Wallace at his finest.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 2-4–A nostalgic trip into the time of general stores stocked with long johns, licorice whips, and fish clocks. Mavis loves everything about Gully's–the bell above the door, the plethora of unique merchandise, the comforting smells. When Joe Gully, the owner, dies and is "laid out" in the main aisle of his store, it is the end of a pleasant interlude of Mavis's childhood. But, with every end comes a beginning as the girl forges a new friendship with Joe's widow, Merna–a bond that spans many years. The store closes after Joe's death, but its doors open again unexpectedly in the story's delightful ending. A children's book that includes fatal heart attacks and coffins is unconventional, but the author handles the subject of death in a matter-of-fact fashion that young readers will find engaging. The watercolor illustrations are a real strong point as Wallace does a commendable job of capturing period details. An old-fashioned flavor permeates this unique story, as viewers wander past the storefront displays, through a "retro" living room, and up and down the aisles of the beloved general store.– Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
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K-Gr. 3. Mavis has always loved Gully's, the big, busy local store in her small 1960s Canadian town, and she dreams of owning the wonderful things she sees there--bicycles, birdbaths, "fish-clocks that marked time with their tails." When Joe Gully dies, Mavis' parents are mean and mocking about his rich "Merry Widow." But Mavis likes Merna Gully, who seems always full of fun, and the two become friends, playing double solitaire and traveling together as Mavis grows up, even as the store remains closed. Thirty years pass before Mrs. Gully reopens the shop, and when she does, she leaves the original prices on everything, so customers can buy "something they had always wanted, but maybe couldn't afford back then." The nostalgia may appeal more to adults than kids, but Wallace's large, realistic watercolors nicely capture the setting, and many children will enjoy the portrayal of spirited, unsentimental friendship across generations. The story of child who reaches beyond her parents is timeless. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0888996470
• ISBN 13: 9780888996473
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wallace Ian
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40