A Mighty Fine Time Machine - Hardcover

Bloom, Suzanne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590785274 ISBN 13: 9781590785270

Publisher: Astra Young Readers, 2009

Synopsis

Sometimes a box is not an ordinary box. In this instance, an aardvark named Grant and an armadillo named Antoine see its potential for something magnificent: a time machine! Under the supervision of their friend Samantha, an anteater, they cobble together a bunch of thingamabobs and hoozie-doozies to turn the empty box into a marvelous device for traveling through time. Can three adventurers actually turn back the clock? Suzanne Bloom's comical story features three endearing characters with vivid imaginations.

About this title

About the Author

Suzanne Bloom is the author and illustrator of the ever-popular Goose and Bear series, including the Geisel Honor-winning A Splendid Friend, Indeed, as well as many books outside the series, such as I Just Like You, The Bus for Us and A Mighty Fine Time Machine. A longtime resident of upstate New York, Suzanne is a graduate of Cooper Union and is a mother and a grandmother. Visit suzannebloom.com.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1—Samantha, an anteater, is biking by with a wagon-load of books when she sees her friends Grant, an aardvark, and Antoine, an armadillo, standing by a huge packing crate. They are convinced that it can be turned into a time machine. They add various "hoozie-doozies," Grant sets the dials to another time and place, and Antoine makes blast-off sounds, but the machine stays put. After they make some adjustments, the rickety rocket rolls down a hill and topples over. Tired and bored, the boys settle down to read Sam's books and give up the project. Sam takes over and makes some of her own improvements, and-voilà!-she turns the box into the best do-it-yourself bookmobile imaginable. And, as proven by the other friends who come by to check out books, it's a success. Any child who has ever built a blanket fort or played inside a box should be able to relate to these anthropomorphic animals. The gouache and colored-pencil illustrations of the gadgets and gizmos attached to the crate add humot, and there is a lot of white space for the large, clear text. Though not essential, this is a fun selection.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Samantha, an anteater, happens upon her friends Grant (an aardvark) and Antoine (an armadillo) one day after the two have traded their “Yummy Gummys” and “Buggy Bonbons” for a large packing box labeled “Time Machine.” Samantha, with her wagon-load of books, is sure that her friends have been bamboozled. Nevertheless, the three work tirelessly, adding “doodads” and “hoozie-doozies,” making blast-off noises, and counting backwards until they are sure they have a working time machine. But, alas, nothing happens. The boys give up and start reading Samantha’s books, but Samantha continues to work until she has the best do-it-yourself bookmobile ever. And it works! Children who have ever created anything out of a box will identify with the trio’s ingenuity. The colored pencil-and-gouache illustrations add warmth and humor to the story. Bloom’s whimsical word choice will further draw children into the story and have them rooting for the friends’ success. Preschool-Grade 1. --Shauna Yusko

Edition details

• Publisher: Astra Young Readers
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1590785274
• ISBN 13: 9781590785270
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32