The story behind the story
A game my mother and I used to play… first when I was very little and she my grown up mother… Now, that she is very old, I play her part. Laughter!
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A mother asks questions and feels for clues as to what the odd lump under her child’s blanket could be, and liftable flaps reveal the thoughts of the hiding child in Is This a Sack of Potatoes? by Crescent Dragonwagon, illus. by Catherine Stock, a bedtime version of hide-and-seek.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-A simple game of hide-and-seek is the premise for this lift-the-flap/pop-up story. It’s bedtime and young Charlie is employing the familiar strategy of hiding underneath the covers. Mom plays along by asking a number of silly questions as to the contents of the bundle under the blanket. Could it be a sack of potatoes, a ton of tomatoes, a peck of pears, or a cave of talking bears? Charlie’s muffled replies can be found when readers lift the blanket, i.e., the flap. While children are bound to appreciate the warmth of this cozy family episode, there aren’t any surprises here, and an awkward sentence and rhyme structure impedes the flow of the narrative. At one point, Charlie says, in a particularly clumsy passage, “Patting and tapping/Wriggling and giggling/Hiddenly merrily/Here-ily there-ily-.” The text is also somewhat long for a book aimed at toddlers. Engaging watercolor illustrations of this loving domestic scene are the strongest aspect of this title.
Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 1. In this affectionate lift-the-flap book, Charlie doesn’t want to go to bed: he would much rather play hide-beneath-the-bed-clothes as his mother pats the lump in the covers asking, “Is this a sack of potatoes? A ton of tomatoes? A peck of pears? A cave of bears?” A delighted, exuberant, “No!” is always Charlie’s reply–until he literally pops from the page yelling, “It’s me!” The rhyming text incorporates whimsical metaphors and fun wordplay (“wriggle, wriggle, swiggle, squiggle”), and lovely, expressive watercolors warmly portray the action. Although the flaps will shorten shelf life and make the book more appropriate for lap sharing than for reading aloud to groups, many children will like this sweet rendering of a familiar parent-child game. Suggested for libraries where lift-the-flap books are a collection staple. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Details
- Reading level: Ages 3 and up
- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation (September 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0761450890
- ISBN-13: 978-0761450894
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds