10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Beautiful, April 6, 2000
This review is from: Fibblestax (Hardcover)
A more beautifully written tale for children--of all ages-- would be hard to find. The artwork is stunning (be sure to take note of the hidden words found in these lavish illustrations)! Best of all is the way Mr. Scillian takes the simple notion of supposing how it is that everyday words get their names, and manages to halt you in your tracks with his unpredictable conclusion about life's most important lesson. Be prepared -- you're likely to find yourself buying additional copies-- and not necessarily all for children! Deserving of "classic" designation in it's category. I love this book!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original story, soft intricately detailed illustrations., May 9, 2000
This review is from: Fibblestax (Hardcover)
Devin Scillian spins for young readers his fable of Fibblestax and how he came to be the one who names everything. He has to battle the tricky, red-faced Carr, a man who "gives terrible names to wonderful things". The mayor of their town gives them five things to name, and the final one stumps Carr, but can Fibblestax rise to the challenge? Kathryn Darnell's soft, intricately detailed illustrations perfectly showcase Scillian's original, entertaining story told throughout in rhyming couplets.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun tale of where words come from!, November 12, 2001
This review is from: Fibblestax (Hardcover)
Where do words come from? Why, for example, do we call a chair a "chair"? Why not call it a "gronk" or "whooba-loop" or something completely different?? Who decided that the thing we walk on is a "floor" and what's above our heads is "sky"?? They could have just as easily been called something different, right?? Why are some words short and others long? (why, for example, is the word "abbreviation" 12 letters long, I've always wondered...). In their book "Fibblestax", Mr. Scillian and Ms. Darnell give their interpretation of where words REALLY come from.
"I dreamed again of Fibblestax, sitting among his books / Peering into the candlelight with a calm, thoughtful look. / For he's the one who gives a name to every single thing. / If not for him we couldn't talk. Or read, or write, or sing."
So begins this richly illustrated story for young children of how, in a place somewhere in the misty depths of time and place, the mop-haired Fibblestax invents names for all the things we know so well. He's the one who decided to call a cat a "cat" and a dog a "dog." He decided that the small furry animal with whiskers should be called a "mouse" and the larger one a "rat."
However, it wasn't always this way. Long before Fibblestax was the namer of all things, there was a grumpy, scowling man named Carr who gave names to everything. He was a "red-faced man who sat on a hickory trunk, and he gave terrible names to wonderful things like toad and snake and skunk." He's the one responsible for all those terribly complicated English words like "sphere" and "xylophone" (and, I'm presuming, "abbreviation").
One day, while Fibblestax was talking to Carr beside a stream, he mentions that "this goobywickus in my cup, it looks more like cream." Fibblestax also notes that other things seem misnamed to him; "hootch-baroos", for example, look more like birds and the word "flowers" sounds much better than Carr's word, "gunnywunks."
A naming contest ensues between the sour Carr and the kind Fibblestax as to who will be the namer of all things. When the mayor asks what should be the name of the wet stuff that falls from the sky, Carr proposes to call it "droog" while Fibblestax quietly suggests it should be called "rain." You can guess what the ending will be the outcome of such a contest, with Carr suggesting names like "Poonies" for soup crackers and other ridiculous words.
"Fibblestax" is one of those rare gems in picture books, a blend of wonderful text and fantastically rich illustrations. Ms. Darnell lavishly illustrates each page in muted colors and soft crosshatch. The characters are gently and realistically rendered, from the scruffy Carr in his red cap and long boot who resembles a cross between a pirate and a lumberjack, and the soft-spoken, tousle-haired Fibblestax. The text is easy, large and rhymes in a way that will easily draw any child into the story.
For any child who may have asked, "mommy, where do words come from?" or who has ever invented their own words for something, "Fibblestax" is an excellent choice to add to the collection. Highly recommended from this teacher and wordsmith!!
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