Corbie : Part Of William Mayne's Animal Library Series :

CORBIE (William Mayne's Animal Library)

Disch's most recent book for young readers was that witty technological tall tale, The Brave Little Toaster; this new story is probably limited to fans of his adult SF writingswho may find it too didactic. Dan De Lion is a dandelion who believes that "all beings sown in mud/. . . Enjoy a simple natural right/ To the rain that falls and to air and light." Belinda Buttertoast, who owns the garden and breeds roses, disagrees with Dan and has him sprayed. But soon he is reborn en masseand the gardener decides his spraying days are over. Cynical black-and-white pictures show cigar-smoking dandelions and roses on crutchessuitable for such a hard-edged story, which is more of a novelty than a work for children. Even making an ideological point doesn't require this heavy-handed approach.
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