Cole, Brock Books

The Indian in the Cupboard

Lynne Reid Banks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 125 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What could be better than a magic cupboard that turns small toys into living creatures? Omri's big brother has no birthday present for him, so he gives Omri an old medicine cabinet he's found. Although their mother supplies a key, the cabinet still doesn't seem like much of a present. But when an exhausted Omri dumps a plastic toy Indian into the cabinet just before falling asleep, the magic begins. Turn the key once and the toy comes alive; turn it a second time and it's an action figure again.

The Indian in the Cupboard is one of those rare books that is equally appealing to children and adults. The story of Omri and the Indian, Little Bear, is replete with subtle reminders of the responsibilities that accompany friendship and love. For kids, it's a great yarn; for most parents, it's also a reminder that Omri's wrenching decision to send his toy back to its own world is not so different from the recognition of their children's emerging independence.

The Indian in the Cupboard is also available in Spanish (La Llave Magica.) (The publisher recommends this book for children ages 9-12, although younger kids will enjoy hearing it read aloud.)

George Washington's Teeth

Deborah Chandra, Madeleine Comora

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The creators of George Washington's Teeth unhinge the jaws of history to examine the mouth of America's first president, tracking the poor man's dental woes as he gallops to war, crosses the Delaware, and, with only two teeth left, takes his place as leader of the country. Washington was plagued by black, rotting teeth from the time he was 22, losing about one a year until he was nearly "toofless" and had to have his first dentures made from a hippotamus tusk (that's right, not wood!). Poets Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora begin their quirky historical tale at a lively clip: "The Revolutionary War/ George hoped would soon be won,/ But another battle with his teeth/ Had only just begun..." Indeed. Evidently he was losing teeth even as he crossed the Delaware: "George crossed the icy Delaware/ With nine teeth in his mouth./ In that cold and pitchy dark,/ Two more teeth came out!" (Cleverly, illustrator Brock Cole mimics Emanuel Leutze's famous painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware," making Washington seem more uncomfortably tight-lipped than dignified.) The story ends happily ever after with the crafting of a nice new pair of ivory false teeth that allow George to dance around the ballroom through the night. Truth be told, however, he would be deeply troubled by his teeth until the day he died. A four-page, illustrated historic timeline of Washington's life (and mouth) completes this carefully researched, very funny, charmingly illustrated picture book that works to humanize a larger-than-life historical figure and in turn, history itself. Brilliant! (Ages 7 and older) --Karin Snelson

The Goats

Amazon Price: $6.95 List Price: $6.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) Amazon Marketplace: 94 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Parental warning 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 10 people found this review helpful.

If I could give zero stars, The Goats earned it. I would caution any adult to think twice before purchasing this book for a child. I couldn't believe this book was so highly acclaimed here at amazon. My eleven year old daughter brought this book home from her classroom library. What she read made her very uncomfortable. It embarrassed her. I read it and was surprised that Broc Cole thought his young readers needed a graphically descriptive passage about the nude body of his main character, Laura, by his other main character, Howie. I am surprised any adult that read this book could think it is a wonderful adventure story of overcoming obstacles to share with a young person. I can think of ten books that would do a better job without making a young reader uncomfortable.

Editorial Review:

Fifteenth anniversary of the classic

On the fifteenth anniversary of the publication of The Goats, Farrar, Straus and Giroux is proud to reissue a new paperback edition featuring Brock Cole’s original hardcover jacket art as well as the black-and-white pen-and-ink chapter openings.

Good Enough To Eat

Brock Cole

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good Enough To Eat 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The author of "Buttons" (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2000) employs familiar folkloric elements to create an amusing tale about a resourceful girl who slays an Ogre and gains a fortune. When an Ogre comes to a town and demands a bride, a poor wretched girl variously called, "Scraps- and- Smells", "Skin-and-Bones", or "Sweets-and-Treats" who was considered "a pest and a bother" by the townspeople is dressed in fine clothing, placed in a bag, and set outside the town gate. The Ogre finds the bag and says, "Ha! What's this?" and the girl replies with her first name. The Ogre cries, "Not good enough!" and grabs some animals to eat. When the townspeople ask the girl, Oh, what more could he possibly want?" the clever girl tells them that the Ogre also wants a dowry. This time when the Ogre comes back for his bride, the girl responds to his question, "What is this?" with her second name, and the Ogre repeats, "Not Good Enough!" The colorful illustrations sparkle with humor: The fat ogre is dressed in a ballooning blouse, striped tights and an armored vest, and always has mice crawling on him; As the Ogre is swallowing the girl in the sack, the previously devoured goat and sheep peek out of his mouth; The girl is dressed in a green dress and wearing a "gold paper" crown, and as she is being stuffed into a sack, one large foot seems to resist; The mayor looking very self-satisfied holds his hands up to calm a group of clearly agitated townspeople. This is a delightful story to share with children, ages 5 and up.

Editorial Review:

Once there was a poor girl who had no mama and no papa and nothing at all, not even a name.

But then one day an Ogre comes knocking at the town’s gate, threatening to ravage the town unless the townspeople give him one of their fair maidens. Of course they pick this poor girl to be sacrificed. They dress her in a gown and a paper crown, put her in a sack, and leave her for the Ogre. But this brave and clever girl manages to outwit the Ogre and all the townspeople, too, earning a purse full of gold, a fine sharp sword, and most important, a fitting name for herself: Good-Enough-to-Eat.

This satisfying story has the feel of a classic fairy tale, brought to life by Brock Cole’s expressive watercolors.

Nothing but a Pig

Brock Cole

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Editorial Review:

Seeking a more refined life, Preston the pig leaves his humble home and master in the village, but he soon learns the value of true friendship. Full-color illustrations.

The Giant's Toe

Brock Cole

List Price: $15.00 By: Farrar Straus & Giroux (J) Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $2.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

My kids absolutely love this book 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I first saw this book in the public library. Everytime we went to the library, my oldest son, then 4, would head straight for The Giant's Toe every time. I found a copy in the bookstore and my kids still read it 2-3 times a week! It's not uncommon to hear "What are you doing, Toe?" in my house. This book is just a lot of fun.

Very Good Book 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Giant's Toe is a tale with a moral, no matter how big you are, you can still be helped by someone that is much smaller. This story is about a giant who accidentally chops off his toe while hoeing in his cabbage garden. The toe ends up turning into a small boy when it's cut off, and the toe starts wreaking havoc. The giant is often annoyed with the toe, but the toe ends up helping him out in the end. I think that this is a very good book for people of all ages and can bring a smile to your face.

This will be one of the best books in your kids' library 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"The Giant's Toe" is exceptionally well written and wonderfully illustrated, regardless what moral you wish to extract from it. My kids continue to laugh each time it's read to them, and as a testament to the author's craftmanship I enjoy it as much as they do.

Editorial Review:

A giant accidentally cuts off his toe and it develops a character of its own.

The Facts Speak for Themselves

Brock Cole

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

painfully real bibliotherapy 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

: This book is extremely well written and affecting. Since this book contains a realistic portrayal of sexual and emotional abuse, The Facts Speak For Themselves would be an excellent choice for bibliotherapy. I would recommend that a teenager have someone trusted to talk over the subject matter of this book. In fact, this book could be so upsetting that a person who reads this book might need a professional counselor.

Evaluation: The Facts Speak For Themselves by Brock Cole contains a sad and powerful story. Cole writes in a beautiful and simple style that gives us access to Lindaýs inner thoughts. The protagonist in this book, Linda, is a victim of years of psychological, sexual and emotional abuse. This abuse is so normal for Linda that she does not recognize it as abuse. As she describes her situation Linda writes in a flat tone about taking care of her little brothers, being molested and watching the murder of her adult lover. It is heartbreaking to see adult after adult either abuse Linda or not offer her any help. Although this is a sad book, in the end Linda is removed from her situation and in a group home. Linda seems relatively happy in the home and she is grateful for the small things like having access to pencils. This ending puts a happy ending on the book that otherwise could make a reader lose all hope.

Editorial Review:

Fans of Brock Cole's savvy, independent protagonist in Celine may be shocked by the raw young woman they meet in The Facts Speak for Themselves. The novel challenges our ideas about young-adult books and about young adults themselves: its story is gritty; its rhythm is oddly primitive; its level of honesty about people and events is unparalleled. Cole tells the tale of 13-year-old Linda who, when we meet her in the beginning of the book, has just come to the police station after witnessing the murder of a man--an adult who may be her lover. The situation is extreme; the nuances are deep. Linda struggles madly against everyone's presumptions about who she appears to be. She tries to tell the story straight, to let the facts speak for themselves. This important book will stimulate discussions in classrooms and between friends.

Buttons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Buttons, buttons, who's got the buttons? When an old man eats so much he bursts his britches and loses all his buttons, it's up to his three daughters to find new ones for their silly, helpless father. The eldest daughter offers to dress in her finest clothes and make a rich man fall in love with her, at which point she will demand buttons. The second daughter plans to dress as a boy and join the army. Her uniform will have plenty of buttons to spare. The youngest daughter, who is "young and rabbity and still picked her nose when she thought no one was looking" decides to run in the meadow, holding out her apron so that if any buttons fall from the sky, she can catch them. The race for buttons is on, and readers will be as delighted as the unfastened father at the results.

In spite of the hint of naughtiness in this fable--daughter number two spends a snug night in a hayloft with a young wounded soldier--the antics throughout are innocently preposterous enough to pose no threat to the sanctity of youth. Tremendously clever and delightfully understated, Brock Cole's original fairy tale and whimsical watercolors have the feel of an ancient classic, complete with happily-ever-after-ending. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

Larky Mavis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Lovely, Whimsical Story..... 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.

"Down the road came Larky Mavis, mooning about, mooning about." She's a kind-hearted, simple minded, ragtag of a woman with a mop of red hair. She trips over three peanuts, eats two, and when she opens the third, finds what she's convinced, is a baby inside. She names it Heart's Delight because it makes her glad and carefully feeds and nutures it, carrying her baby with her in a basket, wherever she goes. Soon, Heart's Delight has grown so large that Larky Mavis wraps it up in an old tablecloth and carries it on her back. The townspeople, at first show contempt and disdain for Mavis and Heart's Delight, calling her baby, when they get a peek, a mouse, a deformed bird or maybe a bat and as it grows, a turkey in molt, a calf and a half or even a dragon and try to take Heart's Delight away from her. But Mavis is its mother and protects it with all her might. As the townspeople descend, a voice is heard from the wrapped bundle we've never seen, "Let Go My Ma!" and Heart's Delight finally appears to save the day..... Brock Cole has authored a clever and appealing modern day fairy tale with a simple message about tolerance, that won't be lost on young readers. The gentle and engaging text is complemented by his evocative and detailed watercolor artwork in subdued tones and youngsters will be entranced as they watch and wait for a hidden Heart's Delight to finally appear. Perfect for children 4-8, Larky Mavis is a masterpiece, sure to become a classic, and a wonderful addition to all home bookshelves.

Editorial Review:

"Down the road came Larky Mavis, mooning about, mooning about." She trips on three peanuts... and ends up eating two out of three. In the third she finds a tiny pink creature, small enough to fit in her hand. "'Well!' she said, laughing. 'I won't eat you!'" And whom exactly does the third peanut contain? We're not quite sure. The villagers call Mavis's blanket-wrapped bundle everything from a worm to a bat to (when it gets bigger) a turkey or a pig, but he remains her precious little baby that she calls Heart's Delight. As fear and curiosity build in the village, Mavis is forced to protect what is dearest to her. Or is it the other way around? Brock Cole, creator of the award-winning Buttons, will thoroughly charm young readers with this deliciously whimsical, pleasantly odd, happily ending story of the transcendent, transformative nature of love. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

The Winter Wren

Brock Cole

List Price: $4.95 By: Farrar Straus & Giroux (J) Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $6.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A favorite of my childhood 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

At present, I cannot find my old dog-eared copy of Cole's "The Winter Wren", which makes me sad. I decided to poke around on the internet, in the hopes of glimpsing the artwork I love so much, but alas, there was none to be found. I became yet more unhappy upon seeing the lack of reviews for this little book. Someone gave me a copy for, if I recall correctly, my 8th birthday. I'm just about 21 now, and the story lingers with me to this day. Every now and then, when I hear the word 'spring' or the title 'Old Man Winter', I think of two crows fighting over a bacon rind and mutter to myself "spring's asleep at winter's farm and can't wake up". It's a folkloric tale with simple, touching art and a story that, like Simon, is also simple and touching.

Editorial Review:

When his village suffers from a hard winter, Simon, whose mother laughs at his foolishness, goes in search of spring.