The Rattlebang Picnic - Hardcover

Ages 5-7. When Jack McTavish marries Marion McGillicuddy, they decide they can afford either a wonderful, speedy car that doesn't break down or lots of children. Then they hit upon a compromise. They'll have just a few children--six or seven--and make do with an old rattlebang of a car. So seven children later, the McTavishes enjoy going on trips to places like Shark Park in their undersized, overstuffed green car. Also along for the ride is Granny McTavish, loved by the children except when it comes to the hard-as-rock pizzas she insists on making. This story has all the kick one would expect from another Mahy-Kellogg pairing. The family has wild adventures during their picnics on the beach and at the river, but when they head up to Mount Fogg, the fun really begins. Their clunker car bumps and grinds up the winding, rocky road. Coming down is harder. Mount Fogg is a volcano, and when the lava spits out, it's time to go. But the old rattlebang isn't up to the ride. It loses a wheel, and not until the kids come up with the idea of using one of Granny's pizzas in its stead are they able to flee the flow. Kellogg's chock-a-block pictures erupt, too--with kids, playthings, pizzas, and car parts. P.S.: Watch for the hippos sneaking into the artwork, runaways from The Boy Who Was Followed Home (1986). Ilene Cooper

The distinguished duo behind the droll The Boy Who Was Followed Home offer another absurdly amusing but less satisfying tale. The newlywed MacTavishes forgo the purchase of a reliable new car in favor of "an old rattlebang" so that they can also afford to have seven children. The whole family, including Granny MacTavish, piles in the rattlebang on picnic adventures. Granny is known for baked goods that are "tougher than old boots," and at Shark Park her picnic pizzas are more useful as Frisbees than food. Kellogg's boisterous, detailed illustratons underscore just how tough the pizzas are by showing a shark whose teeth fly out of his mouth after one bite. (Discerning fans will also chuckle over subtle cameo appearances from players in other Kellogg works.) When the family picnics at Mt. Fogg, the hot springs and geysers provide hours of fun--until Mt. Fogg erupts, and the rattlebang loses one of its wheels. As the "sinister hiss of red-hot lava" moves threateningly close, the children rally to the rescue by proposing that one of Granny's pizzas be used as a tire. While many will enjoy Mahy's spirited family, abrupt transitions may prevent the reader from forming more than a superficial connection to the story. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.