Alligator in the Basement - Hardcover

Bob Keeshan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 092519090X ISBN 13: 9780925190901

Publisher: Fairview Press, 1996

Synopsis

A young boy discovers that a wild imagination is a powerful thing--but it can also be a lot of fun!

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?Because of Keeshan's many fine contributions as TV's "Captain Kangaroo," this less-than-successful story about conquering fears through the triumph of imagination is doubly disappointing. A young boy, perhaps four years old, loves to visit his grandparents' house and has an exciting day when he accompanies his grandfather to the basement in search of a hammer. The grandfather warns the boy: "Be sure to watch out for Al." Who's Al? None other than an alligator who lives in the basement inside the washing machine. The same basement is also home to a baseball-loving monkey. Unfortunately, this is as far as the plot goes. The child's first-person narration is sprinkled with words such as "impolite" that just don't ring true. The plain cartoon drawings, executed with dull colors, are uninspired. They seem more typical of very ordinary 1950s artwork than the brilliant and exuberant illustrations of the 1990s. Moreover, the lack of congruency between the text and the illustrations is confusing. For example, when the grandfather describes rapidly, magically changing baseball T-shirts, socks, and umbrellas, the pictures remain static, revealing none of the cited changes. Although the message is a worthy one, the execution is sadly lacking.?Jerry D. Flack, University of Colorado
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Keeshan (Family Fun Activity Book) of Captain Kangaroo fame wades into familiar waters in this paper-over-board book, employing a potentially threatening beast to encourage kids to use?and remain in control of?their imaginations. When a hissing alligator crawls out of the washing machine, Granddad isn't at all intimidated, even though his grandson, the narrator, is terrified. Granddad has a suggestion: "Just tell him to go away. He's your alligator in the basement as much as mine." An additional attempt to show the power of creative thought produces a silly scene in which the boy meets another basement dweller, a monkey wearing a baseball shirt, the logo of which the child can change at whim. For all the talk about imagination, the art, blandly and cartoonishly rendering the narrator as relentlessly wide-eyed, lacks the inventiveness or vision that might have salvaged this meager, shopworn tale. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fairview Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 092519090X
• ISBN 13: 9780925190901
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Kyle Corkum