Hurry Hurry Mary Dear [Hardcover]

N. M. Bodecker (Author), Erik Blegvad (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

"Hurry, hurry, Mary dear
fall is over, winter's here.
Not a moment to be lost,
in a minute we get frost!
In an hour we get snow!
Drift like houses! Ten below!"

So begins this hilarious nonsense rhyme by a much-loved writer who won wide critical acclaim and a devoted audience during his lifetime. Now this poem has been illustrated in full color by Erik Blegvad, an old friend of Bodecker's and the only person besides himself that he would allow to interpret work.

Poor Mary is the person who must make all the preparation for winter in a frenzied crescendo of activity -- "Churn the butter, smoke the hams, can tomatoes, put up jams" -- leading up to a very funny, very fitting, ending.

Illuminated by Bodecker's rare imagination, his glorious sense of the absurd, and his firsthand knowledge of country living, all beautifully matched by Erik Blegvad's wonderous watercolor paintings, this is a book to delight young readers and their elders again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blegvad wittily refreshes his late friend and collaborator's waggish poem about a hardworking, much-put-upon wife and her hortatory husband with this masterfully illustrated edition. As he mentions in a foreword, Blegvad models his Mary on the pen-and-ink version drawn by Bodecker himself in his nonsense collection Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear! (reissued in 1987 and still in print); Blegvad, however, works in watercolors, splendidly reproduced here with a limpid clarity. The heroine, Mary, is a reedy woman. Her nose has a shape that would not be out of place on a snowman, and her white hair is tucked tidily into a bun?at least as the verse begins. Her husband delivers all the lines: "Not a minute to be lost,/ in a minute we get frost!/ In an hour we get snow!/ Drifts like houses! Ten below!" He puts Mary through her (nonstop) paces as the rhythms escalate: "Churn the butter, smoke the hams,/ Can tomatoes, put up jams." In the company of a black cat, Mary toils inside and outside her well-appointed home, oiling snowshoes, stoking fires, attending to sometimes ludicrous tasks (she "strings the beans" by hanging them on a clothesline). With each pause in the verse, Mary sags, her hair unraveling, her shoulders stooping, but she rallies with each new volley of rhyme. Of course, the husband, lolling in a rocking chair, gets his due in the end; what readers get is an absolute treat, two consummate artists making the most of a good joke. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-In one of the poet's best-known nonsensical rhymes, indefatigable Mary, a slight but steady old woman, rushes about preparing the household for winter, inside and out, while her idle husband sits by and fusses about the changing season. As she toils, her wispy white hair escapes from its bun and her ire rises until she reaches the end of her rope and retaliates. Blegvad has taken the poem and turned it into a charming picture book in loving tribute to his poet friend. Using Bodecker's own clever, expressive line drawings [see Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear! And Other Nonsense Poems (McElderry, 1976)] as the basis for his illustrations, the artist has enlarged each one to a full-page watercolor painting, adding several scenes and lots of endearing details, including a ubiquitous black cat. A visual and whimsical delight.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689817703
• ISBN-13: 978-0689817700
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent illustrations; the humor may be lost on young kids, January 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear (Hardcover)

The illistrations are delightful, with much detail. There is almost a second story line in the antics of the small black cat found on most of the pages -- very nice when reading to kids; it allows them to make up a story of their own to go along with the main story. The humor in the story line is great for grown-ups, but I'm not sure all kids would understand the punchline on the last page. It's a fun story even if the last bit has to be explained, though!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, May 8, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear (Hardcover)

This is a charming story of a country wife getting ready for winter while her lazy husband gives lots of instructions, but does no work. Don't worry, she gets him back in a very humorous way at the end of the book. Easy to read, nice rhyming pattern and wonderful illustrations. A fun book to be read over and over again. A favorite in our house.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting ready for winter, September 14, 2001

By 

Elaine C. Sisson "esisson5" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear (Hardcover)

The illustrations are beautiful and entertaining, look for the cat in the illustrations, and the rhyme is easy to remember. My daughter loves this book. I get it out every fall to help me organize for winter, as the first cool winds start to blow out of the north.
This book is an entertaining and fun way to get ready for the dark winter months.