School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Mr. Gum lives in a disgustingly filthy house where "he slept, scowled, and picked his nose and ate it." Even the bed isn't madeÄMr. Gum chucked "bits of wood on the floor and dumped a mattress on top." But his garden is the most beautiful in the town. Why? Some speculate that he likes to garden, but the real reason is the angry fairy who gives him "pan whacks" if the garden isn't perfect. Unfortunately for Mr. Gum, the neighborhood dog, Jake, frequently messes up the gardenÄcausing Mr. Gum too many whacks with the frying pan. So Mr. Gum leaves spoiled cow hearts laced with rat poison and sweetened with lemonade powder in the center of the lawn. Jake takes the bait, but is ultimately saved by nine-year-old Polly and some magic chocolate (a questionable remedy, since chocolate is dangerous to dogs). English author Andy Stanton provides flawless narration of his book (HarperCollins, 2008). His deadpan delivery and comic timing are perfect. With its quirky cast of characters and silly sense of humor, this story is a great choice for reluctant readers.-Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
An aggressive fairy insists that grumpy Mr. Gum keep his garden tidy. Dog Jake sees it as his personal playground. What will Mr. Gum do to Jake, and how will Polly, a kind little girl, stop him? The story relies too much on random jokes, but the fast pace and humor will keep kids reading. Bubbly black-and-white drawings illustrate most pages. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
An outstanding opening carries this debut import past some surreal patches. Mr. Gum "lived in a great big house in the middle of town. Actually, it wasn't that great, because he had turned in into a disgusting pigsty." How bad was it? "Insects lived in the kitchen cupboards, not just small insects but great big ones with faces and names and jobs." He keeps his "garden" perfect, though, so when a huge dog takes to stopping by to tear it up, he soaks three pounds of bad hearts from the butcher in rat poison and sets a trap. A bad man indeed--but no fears: After trotting in a host of characters, from a chorus line of gophers and a good Samaritan with a severely short attention span to a nine-year-old heroine with a 31-word first name, Stanton engineers a last-second rescue, a wedding and even (despite several strenuous denials) a slightly hidden "Secret Bonus Story." Illustrated on nearly every page with comical vignettes and spot art, the tale makes a serious assault on the silly bone. (Fantasy. 9-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
