Guess What? (Voyager Books) [Paperback]

Mem Fox (Author), Vivienne Goodman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Voyager Books

Through a series of questions to which the reader answers yes or no, the personality and occupation of Daisy O’Grady are revealed-she’s a witch! “A fascinating brew combining pop culture, Halloween symbols, favorite book characters, and the worthy message that even outrageously peculiar behavior may not be evil.”-Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just as actors are occasionally miscast, so too can authors and illustrators be mismatched by the powers that be in publishing: Fox's latest picture book is a classic example. Her bare-bones storyline, in which she poses and answers a series of questions about a witch named Daisy O'Grady, isn't the problem--although it is surprisingly pedestrian--rather, the blunder is with the choice of illustrator. In a book aimed at very young children, Goodman's surreal visions, at times reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch, far too often overstep the bounds of good taste--and even stray into the Freudian, as in one instance where a dead fish dangles from a pair of panties hanging on a clothesline. The sophomoric humor (a jar is labeled "Porksnot & Co.--Mucus Pickle"), of the sort that delights readers of Mad magazine, will go right over the heads of the intended audience. They, unfortunately, will more likely focus on the book's nightmarish elements: insects crawling in the witch's bed, an owl with a dead mouse in his beak and the frightening visage of Daisy O'Grady herself. On all counts, this is a peculiar production. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-- A picture book with off-center wit and style. The structure is simple,wit and style. The structure is simple, introduced on the first page with a flat statement: "Far away from here lives a crazy lady called Daisy O'Grady." This is followed by a series of questions ("Is she tall? Guess!") that are answered with a resounding "Yes!" when the page is turned. Each exchange builds a description of a woman who, it is increasingly obvious, is a witch. The last lines, however, are reassuring: "Some people say she's really mean. But guess what? She's NOT!" The text is paired with illustrations that add to the eerie atmosphere with a photographic surrealism. Framed sharply to face the text, which is in large print, the pictures become increasingly bizarre in their use of detail, commenting on the text as much as extending it. Gouache paintings portray a mildly engaging eccentric; the feeling of the illustration is darkly humorous while the words are sunnily simple and the structure is, at its root, reassuringly anticlimactic. The conflict is reflected in the final illustration: Daisy with an unidentified, fresh-faced young girl--a witch in training, perhaps? Fox bows off briskly, but Goodman trails away confusingly. The result is an entertaining picture book in which the visual style is too sophisticated for the text and the text too uncomplicated for the grotesque humor of the visual style. The whole, while interesting, is thus less than the sum of its parts. --Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152007695
• ISBN-13: 978-0152007690
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Holidays & Festivals > Halloween

More About the Author

MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Time for Bed, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. She lives in Adelaide, Australia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An odd, friendly witch and great illustrations!, August 14, 2000

By 

Ann M. Huebner (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guess What? (Hardcover)

My toddler and I love this book. It is so much fun. The text is sparse but interactive--you have to keep guessing things about Daisy O'Grady; in the end she is revealed to be a witch, a friendly witch, however. The award-winning illustrations are just superb. They look like photographs, albeit surrealistic photographs, filled with an explosion of animals, household products, hats, you name it. One caveat: If you are afraid of/offended by witches and want books containing anything mythical/supernatural censored from school libraries, then this book is not for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, hilarious, very unique book!, March 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Guess What? (Voyager Books) (Paperback)

This is a WONDERFUL book, for children and adults. Children will love the participation aspect of it and will find the paintings amusing. The paintings are so incredibly intricate that one finds new things each time one sees the page. I disagree with the reviewers who say this book is not suitable for children. I have read this book to children and they LOVE it! They think it's hilarious and fun. And all my adult friends have bought copies for their personal collections.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absurd Negative Reviews -- This Book is Marvelous, October 8, 2004

By 

sheila (new york city) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guess What? (Hardcover)

I have to laugh at some of the reviewers here. Clearly this book is not meant for 3 year olds, in the same way not all Roald Dahl books are meant for young children. This in NO WAY reduces the entertainment factor and values shown in this book. So it doesn't fit squarely in with the other books the author has written. Writers have creative license to branch out, don't they? Only an adult would understand the "significance" of the fish and snake in the underwear -- honestly. The "Sex Pistols" can only be seen on a button which partially obscures the word "sex" for obvious reasons and is and is only relevant and meaningful to an adult, the same way "Lennon Brand Shaved Fish" is also meant to elicit a private, secret grin from a parent of a certain age group. That sort of reference will go right over the heads of a child, as it is meant to. The book is wholesome. As the last illustration plate shows, it's meant to destroy the Salem-esque archetype of witches as "bad" and "scary," as the young girl is exhilarated to be with a supposedly spooky, crazy woman who turns out to be her mentor -- they are out in the moonlight, she's eager to learn, excited, and there's a warm bond between them.

This book is meant for children who are just about to start reading books without pictures and are phasing out of illustrated books. It's wonderful, clever, magical, detailed, and funny. I wish there were more childrens' books like it.