The Giant Ball of String [Hardcover]

Arthur Geisert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Beyond the resourcefulness of its porcine citizens, there wasn’t much to recommend the small mining town of Rumpus Ridge. But even in such a hardscrabble place, they had created something they could be proud of: over the years they had collected the biggest ball of string in the world. Folks came from miles around to see it. But one night, a flood carries their prized string away and washes it ashore near the town of Cornwall. Rather than return it, the Cornwallians decide to keep the string for themselves. They start to make plans to dedicate the string in its new gazebo, but their celebrations could be short-lived, because, having discovered the deceit, those resourceful piglets from Rumpus Ridge have begun to make some plans of their own . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As in his Nursery Crimes, Geisert once again zeroes in on a small Midwestern town inhabited by a group of pigs to tell an offbeat tale of how cooperation and resourcefulness can overcome deceit. Accompanied by hilariously deadpan etchings, the narrative follows a group of young pigs who use ropes, pulleys, a magnifying glass and some dynamite to reclaim their town's pride and joy, the titular ball of string. Bursting from the public gazebo in which it is housed in Rumpus Ridge, Wis., the string has been collected by generations of the town's youngsters. When it washes downriver in a flood one day, the pigs in the next town seize their chance. An aerial view shows Cornwall's town square, with its brick storefronts and miners' shacks, all laced with fine, spiderweb-like lines: the townsfolk have to dry out the string before they can display it. Half the fun lies in the poker-face text ("At noon, the Cornwallians were going to dedicate their ill-gotten ball of string"); the other half lies in the detailed illustrations of the Rumpus Ridge piglets as they build a sluice and water wheel and "[fashion] a windmill" to regain their prized possession. Any reader who has ever tried to rig up a bucket of water over a doorway will revel in Geisert's tongue-in-cheek delivery as well as the good guys' ingenuity and sweet revenge. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-This decidedly unusual picture book has an old-fashioned feel. The illustrations look almost like etchings or engravings, while the small-town setting showcases scenes of a simpler time. Geisert's quirky story focuses on the opportunistic theft of Rumpus Ridge, Wisconsin's claim to fame-a giant ball of string housed in a downtown gazebo, and the clever efforts of that community's children to retrieve their treasure from the Cornwallians, when it washes downstream in a flood. The story flows well, with a certain inevitability, though the vocabulary can be challenging at times. Geisert uses a mixture of full spreads and smaller vignettes to illustrate his tale. These pictures both illuminate the actions described and give careful observers a preview of upcoming events. At times, however, the details are rather small and difficult to discern. The events described are (obviously intentionally) quite peculiar and Geisert's sense of humor is extremely dry. While fans of Edward Gorey's offbeat tales might enjoy this absurd adventure, it's unlikely that a great many young children will be drawn to this low-key saga of string lost and found.
Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061813221X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618132218
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,424,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arthur Geisert's unique and exquisite etchings have been widely praised and exhibited at the Chicago Institute of Art, among other museums. His work is regularly selected for the Society of Illustrators', annual Original Art exhibition, and his illustrations are now being collected by the Dubuque Museum of Art. He lives in a converted bank in Bernard, Iowa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rube Goldberg experiment of magnificent proportions, November 24, 2007

By 

B. Kamnitzer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Giant Ball of String (Hardcover)

These piggies are so ingenius. My son delights in this book and all of Arthur Geisert's amazing stories and illustrations. The message of this book is terrific, but the drawings and the intricate plan that is laid out and successfully completed is amazing and keeps the wheels turning in our heads for hours.

If your child likes to play with rope, pulleys, boxes and all sorts of trinkets, then this book will be perfect. Non-thinkers need not apply.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars different than i expected, June 23, 2005

By 

J. LISLE - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Giant Ball of String (Hardcover)

I liked the storyline, but it was also quite techinical. The pictures are quite detailed, but also very small. Includes a nice moral that you shouldn't take things that aren't yours. My son enjoys reading this one, but usually gets a little distracted before the end. It's a quite elaborate plan the pigs use to get their ball of string back. I'm not quite sure if'd I buy it, maybe borrow from the library first and if it's a hit, then invest in your own copy.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book by Arthur Geisert, October 12, 2002

By 

"thehartmans" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Giant Ball of String (Hardcover)

This book is so much fun! My boys love it - they giggle and laugh all the way through it. The drawings are wonderful and there's a great message in the end about teamwork! We can't wait to see what Arthur comes up with next!