Synopsis
This is the hilarious story of a boy whose feet play an unexpected role in world geography. Pipo's feet grow so fast that he wins races just by standing still, but a good fairy takes pity on him, giving him a pair of magic boots that will grow when watered. After negotiating a trade with a child-eating ogre, Pipo is separated from his beloved footwear. But there is a happy ending: one boot gets thrown into the sea, gets bigger and bigger, and becomes ... Italy!
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About the Author
Rémy Simard is a popular Quebec writer and illustrator with a contagious sense of humor. Rémy draws automobiles, motorcycles, and animals when he's not taking naps. He is a writer, an illustrator, and the director of the Kami-Case collection published by Boréal. He has also created comic strips for many magazines, including Iceberg and Circus.
Rémy teamed up with author and illustrator Pierre Pratt and, together, created award-winning picture books, including My Dog is an Elephant (1994) and Mr. Once-upon-a-time (1998). Pierre has both written and illustrated Follow That Hat! (1992) and Hippo Beach (1997).
Reviews
Simard and Pratt use a hard-sell attempt at humor to glue this fairy tale/geography lesson/creation tale together, but the wisp of a story that emerges barely supports the punchline. Pipo's feet are so enormous that he can "win races without even moving"-and what is his poor mother to do about keeping him in shoe leather? Enter a good fairy, who supplies magical red boots that will grow with watering. These boots quickly change hands, so to speak: Pipo forfeits them to an ogre, Pipo's jealous neighbor steals them from the ogre and then buries them. One is found by Pipo's sister, who throws it into the sea-whereupon it becomes a certain boot-shaped European peninsula. The ending may surprise the first time around, but falls flat with repeated readings. Moreover, the story lacks internal logic (how can the gargantuan boots fit the jealous neighbor's feet?) and leaves loose ends (what happens to the other boot?). Velvety hues and thick black lines rendered in acrylics heighten the absurdity but don't deepen the story. All in all, this is more of a long joke than a complete story. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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The Magic Boot
Published by
Annick Press, Toronto - New York, 1995
ISBN 10: 1550374109
ISBN 13: 9781550374100
Used
Soft cover
Seller: Second Edition Books, Butte, MT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good-. Pratt, Pierre (illustrator). Binding tight. Previous owner's name on ffep, otherwise interior unmarked. Wraps in good condition with crease along spine and upper corner. Bold, colorful illustrations. Story about a magic boot that grows in the water, becoming Italy. unpaginated. Seller Inventory # 031297