( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 21 2008
Adult literary techniques do not always translate well to children's books. Although there is some interesting insight into the lives of children that shows through this book, the writing is forced. Having not read the other Rootabaga Stories, I can't say if Sandburg wrote everything this way, but this particular story is probably one of the most annoying books I've read to my child. The awkward illustrations didn't help either. Having said that, a book is a book and everybody enjoys different kinds of books. I would simply recommend checking it out at the library before you buy it.
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Posted: Oct 11 2007
We love this book but it is a little odd. The pictures are truely strange but the words are enchanting. My 2 little boys think it's great!
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( 6 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 14 2005
In the late '60s and early '70s, my mother read this story to my sister and me - MANY times - from a collection of bedtime stories that had belonged to her younger sister (my aunt). We still talk about "chubbing our chubs" and having a "chocolate chin" in the regular course of family conversation. I was delighted to find that this, and other Carl Sandburg stories, are still in print. His clever use of language and image puts him in a rather elite group of writers. Sandburg helped me to develop an abiding love and respect for words and a feeling of expectant wonder every time I open a new book. There are a few children's books that I recommend without qualification. Needless to say, this is one of them. (Others in this category include: Ogden Nash's "Animal Garden" and Lore Segal's "Tell Me a Mitzy" and "Tell Me a Trudy.") If you have not read "The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It," do it now!
