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Summary
Summary
Bartleby Huddle is a sweet, happy child. He gurgles and coos, giggles and laughs, but he hasn't said a single word--not baby , not peekaboo , not even MINE! The rest of the noisy Huddles-- Mama, Papa, and big sister Isadora--outdo themselves trying to make Bartleby say . . . something! It's only wise Grampy Huddle who understands that Bartleby will speak in his own good time. And when he does speak, they'd better listen! Exuberant art perfectly captures the hilarious antics of this boisterous family as it learns a lesson from its youngest member and discovers the joys that can be experienced by the simple act of listening.
Author Notes
ROBIN CRUISE's noteworthy books include Little Mamá Forgets , a Booklist Editors' Choice. She lives in Kirkland, Washington. KEVIN HAWKES's many award-winning picture books include Granite Baby by Lynne Bertrand, selected a Booklist Editors' Choice and a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book. He lives in Gorham, Maine.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1-Like most toddlers, Bartleby enjoys playing patty-cake, crawling, and jumping. But he doesn't say a single word. His mother sings loudly in pig Latin, his father plays the cello at bedtime, and his sister shrieks as she tap dances around him. Still, he doesn't talk. On his third birthday, after he enjoys sitting quietly on the porch swing with Grampy as they listen to and enjoy nature together, things change. Finally, Bartleby has something to say. Hawkes's energetic illustrations will elicit smiles, especially at the notable resemblance between Bartleby's ears and his grandfather's. The characters' expressive eyes, including the dog's, add to the humor. Youngsters will wait with great anticipation for the hilarious conclusion and ask for repeated readings.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bartleby Huddle, a winsome three-year-old with jug-handle ears, is the joy of his opera-singing mother, his cello-playing father, his tap-dancing sister and their enthusiastic poodle. But he won't talk, no matter how much they clamor to show him how. It's not until Grampy Huddle visits on Bartleby's birthday that the boy's real soul mate is revealed (no coincidence that Grampy has jug-handle ears, too). Out on the porch swing "they listened to the lilacs swish in the breeze. They swung. They held hands... And they didn't say a word." Hawkes's (The Road to Oz) clear, sunny watercolors lift the story to pleasing heights, like the balloons at Bartleby's birthday party. There, like an oracle, Bartleby speaks at last: "Listen!" is his first word-and his family does, hearing sounds they've never heard before. The story brightens considerably when Cruise (Only You) introduces Grampy. The dual themes-accepting children as they are, and understanding the meaning of silence-could easily compete for readers' attention. Fortunately, in this duo's hands, they appear as a satisfying whole. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Young Bartleby Huddle, a sweet-tempered little boy, has never uttered a word, and his reticence is a source of immense concern to his boisterous and demonstrative family. His operatic mother sings him awake in the morning: "LISTEN, Bartleby!...Sing...Mama! Ma-ma!" At bedtime, his father plays raucously on his cello: "LISTEN, Bar-r-r-r-tle-by!... Say...Papa! Pa-pa!" His older sister tap-dances around him, even Ludwig the dog tries encouraging him ("Woof!"), but no matter how persistent each of them is, Bartleby remains contentedly silent. Hawkes's riotous illustrations extend the lively text by portraying the high-decibel Huddle family as being as loud in appearance as they are in volume. In the midst of the cacophony, little Bartleby calmly goes about his business, a contemplative expression on his face. The clamor to get Bartleby to speak reaches a fever pitch at his third birthday celebration, which is where Grampy Huddle comes in. With their round heads and big sticky-out ears, grandson and grandfather share not just looks but a similar temperament. After some quiet time on the porch swing with Grampy, Bartleby does in fact speak. His first word? "Listen." Every child should have a Grampy Huddle in his life: an adult attuned to life's quieter pleasures. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Wee toddler Bartleby is almost as inscrutable as his Melvillean namesake, though a sight more cooperative. He gurgles and coos, chortles and cluckshe just doesn't speak. The distress of the rest of the Huddle family is cacophonous: Mama sings opera, Papa plays the cello, big sister Isadora tap-dances and even poodle Ludwig barksall complete with loud-looking sound effectshoping to inspire the jug-eared boy to join in the family conversation. He smiles and says not a word, though, till his third birthday, when his equally jug-eared Grampy takes Bartleby out to the porch for some mutual quiet time. When the boy blows out the candles on his cake, he speaks his wish: "Listen." Hawkes accompanies Cruise's gently pointed text with characteristically comic line-and-color cartoons, varying vignettes with full- and double-page spreads that focus readers' attention exactly where it needs to be, modulating noise and silence through artful pacing. A sweetly underscored paean to the beauty of quiet. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Bartleby Huddle gurgles and coos, clucks and burps. But for weeks, for months, indeed for three years, he never says a word. In a story line reminiscent of Robert Kraus' Leo the Late Bloomer (1971), hovering parents cajole Bartleby to speak. His opera-singing mama holds forth in three languages, while his cello-playing dad begs him to say papa. The sister and dog try, too, without luck, to get the boy to speak. Dr. Smoot assures the concerned parents that their child is fine; Grampy Huddle, who has the same beady eyes and cup-handle ears as Bartleby, is convinced that the child will speak when he has something to say. Indeed! The toddler's first word to his overly noisy, zany family is Listen! Through a blend of text and clever, energetic illustrations that goes beyond the words, Cruise and Hawkes let readers know that there's more than one way to communicate.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2009 Booklist