Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent [Hardcover]

Lauren Child (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Boy genius Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent-H for short- is the answer to his rich parents' prayers. He is their dear companion, their fiercest board game adversary, and their frequent guest at parties. But this prodigy's parents don't share his knack at accounting-and they can't imagine ever running out of money. Will Hubert be able to save the Bobton-Trent's fabulous estate - or might they be just as happy without it, after all? With exuberant collage illustrations and a hilarious text, award-winning author and illustrator Lauren Child has created an irreverent story about the true value of money and the dividends of happiness.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Better at Twister and board games than at managing finances, Hubert Horatio's socialite parents have little clue that they are fast going from "frightfully, frightfully rich" to bankrupt. Their son, a child prodigy, secretly begins to charge admission for tours of their mansion, but his parents welcome the visitors with lavish parties; other capital-raising schemes similarly backfire. Finally, Hubert Horatio convinces his parents to move to a modest apartment building (whose cheerful but tenement-like facade is whimsically depicted in a vertical gatefold). He discovers, to his surprise, that his parents prefer the snugger quarters and closer-at-hand neighbors. The satire about the frivolous wealthy is less understated than in Hilary Knight's Eloise books, but, as always, there is substantial appeal in Child's doodled, collage-enhanced imagery and arch text. And the clever cover design--with pale-green ornamentation borrowed from a dollar bill--will entice money-obsessed children, while the story within will remind them that many of life's pleasures cannot be purchased. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Praise for Lauren Child: 1 'Wacky, idiosyncratic stunners.' - THE SUNDAY TIMES 2 Books are at the mercy of their owners, but careless Herb, who has defaced his fairytale collection with scissors and pencil, finds the traditional characters taking revenge in Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?, a more robust tale than last year's Kate' Greenaway medal winner, I will not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, with wider appeal (including key stage 2 readers). - TES teacher 3 Herb, the expressively wide-eyed hero of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book, is better at reading pictures than words. Lauren Child's anarchic book inventively plays with fairy-tale conventions. Herb, in his crazy nighmare, falls unwittingly into his own book - climbing up words of dramatically changing typography and being chased through pages by well-known characters. Herbs earlier snipping-out of Prince Charming and ... adding moustaches and telephones exacerbates the chaos. - The Bookseller 4 A wonderfully imaginative, postmodern idea. Absorbing and with fantastical zany pictures. - The Observer Review 5 Hugely creative, Lauren Child's individual style is shown to perfection in this funny, subversive story. - Parentwise As funny as ever, with the usual distinction combination of graphics and collage artwork -- childrens bookseller 20040804 'Boldly conceived ... brilliantly funny, and discerning.' -- Carousel Christmas 20041101 'If you haven't yet discovered the funky, stylish world of Lauren Child, buy this book for yourself ... this woman is amazing.' -- The Daily Mail 20041125 This heartwarming tale is witty and entertaining and has a moral ending. Read it with your children at bedtime. -- The Lady 20050315 'Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent ... does capture the spirit of a bygone age... children will pore over the tiny details scattering the pages while the story contains enough humour based on the subtle nuances of social class to keep an adult entertained.' -- the Guardian 20041206 Praise for Lauren Child: 'The kitsch queen of children's picture books.' -- Hampstead and Highgate Express 20041203 This is Child's most ambitious and visually striking book yet. -- Bookfest 2004 20041203 Hilarious, rather quirky... It is perfect for those beginning to gain confidence in their reading, great to share with less able readers and fun for all ages. -- Primary Times Spring 2005 20041203 -- 'This is a quirky and unusual picture book, with the distinctive style we have come to expect from Lauren Child.' -- The School Librarian 20041203 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786854855
• ISBN-13: 978-0786854851
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Business & Money

More About the Author

Lauren Child is the multi-talented prize-winning creator of the characters Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and Hubert Horatio Bobton-Trent. She has won the Smarties Gold Award, Smarties Bronze Award, Kate Greenaway Medal and been shortlisted for the Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Lauren lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cut Above the Others; "Top Drawer" Tale of the Elite, April 1, 2006

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (Hardcover)

The endpapers of Lauren Child's remarkably droll masterpiece hints at "Chutes and Ladders," the venerable kids' board game where players jump ahead by landing on squares with ladders, and fall behind by landing on those with chutes. It's a subtle metaphor for the overarching class mobility theme that suffuses this superbly written and illustrated tale of riches won, lost, and found again.

The Bobton-Trents are upper class British to their very marrow, and spend their time lavishly entertaining other upper class hyphenates; to wit, the Elfington-Learies, their "next-door-but-one neighbors, the Davenport-Martines," and the Butterworth-Trotters. (Sure, these are easy jokes, but Child's collage drawings and tone are so inventive and "spot-on" that they seem fresh.) Their baby, Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (aka "H.") enters this rarified social sphere, and, early on displays prodigal skills in speaking, telephoning his parents (a necessity when you live in a huge mansion, and swimming. While his parents fritter away their time, and, more importantly to the story, their money, "H." and his best friend Stanton Harcourt Saint Bernard, III have fun at their home laboratory, learn obscure Japanese words, and practice table tennis. Lauren Child's madcap interior design encapsulates their idiosyncratic, topsy-turvy lives: The mansion is all squiggly-lined opulence, andthe parents wear wild, textured clothing that matches the wallpaper, and the artsy, modernistic fixtures and decorative look like they might succumb to gravity--or good taste--at any minute. This wealth of artifice, along with the somewhat distant parent -child relationship hint at imminent decline, and that's exactly what happens: The Bobton-Trents spend more than they bring in, and all their servants except the loyal Grimson resign, and even Grimson's loyalty extends only to the next morning. When Stanton Harcourt informs Hubert that the only way out is to sell the manor, Lauren Childs poses the melodramatic questions like the narrator midway through a Rocky and Bullwinkle episode (to which the entire book owes a certain resemblance).

"His parents loved their beautiful mansion. How would they ever cope if they ever found out they were no longer frightfully, frightfully rich?"

"What would happen to Grimshaw?"

"And in any case, where would he put his table-tennis table?"

There's a temporary reprieve when the sporty Bobson-Trents parents every Chinese checker, Scrabble, and Boggle contest they enter, but these good-natured twittish couple soon part with their money. In a too-rapid denouement, the whole family moves to a very tall and much cheaper house right in the city. The parents find more practical ways of enjoying their eccentricities, and Hubert is relieved when he discovers that his parents can live without a fortune, and that he can actually walk to the now-closer parents' room without his cocoa getting cold. Fortunately, `Bobson-Trent' doesn't ask that you take the plot too serious--it's more about style than content--and so the swift resolution is acceptable.

Perhaps in lesser hands, the dry humor, as well as the various fonts, exaggerated perspectives, the mixture of 50's and 60's illustrative styles with Jules Pfeiffer-like rapid line drawings, would seem contrived or gimmicky. However, Lauren Child's wildly satirical tale has a confidence that never looks back. Simply stated, it is one of the most original kids' books I've seen in years, and Child's story and daring illustrations are deeply satisfying. Most elementary- or middle school-aged children will enjoy this slightly askew family, and adults weaned on screwball comedies and the sensibilities of "Bullwinkle" and "Fractured Flickers" comedy will adore this. The book is probably too long for a one-sitting reading, but there are enough episodic breaks that teachers and adults can read it over a few days. Winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal, Lauren Child has written over twenty books, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading them.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is important?, December 14, 2005

By 

Ashes Sarrico "helpless book nerd" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (Hardcover)

This book is fantastic. Fun illustrations and shaped text make reading this book especially exciting. Its the story of a very clever boy who tries to save the family fortune but discovers that money isn't so terribly important as family. A great lesson is learned, the story is delightfully and humorously told, and the hero is very charming, resourceful, and endearing.
A note to Kindergarten/ 1rst grade teachers: This book makes a great resource for themes on money.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emphasis on the nard., August 11, 2005

By 

S. Conley (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (Hardcover)

When we got this book in at the library (where I work) my co-worker brought it over to me right away and asked me to read it aloud (knowing I'd love it). It was great. It has a slight british humor (mostly dealing with character names) that I adore. This is a book I will read over and over and can't wait to do it for a storytime with my 3 - 5 yr/olds in the fall. Hubert and his parents make for a fun read.