Ice-Cream Larry [Hardcover]

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

After he eats an eighth of a ton of ice cream at Cohen's Cones, Larry the polar bear happily becomes the spokesbear for the Iceberg Ice-Cream Company under the slogan, "I do not feel sick."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Larry is a polar bear who, as we discover in Young Larry, falls asleep on a chunk of ice in Baffin Bay and wakes up in Bayonne, New Jersey. Stranded on a beach, what else can he do but become a lifeguard to earn money to buy the blueberry muffins he loves? Fortunately, just as he is about to be fired for being a polar bear, he saves the life of Martin Frobisher, who is so grateful to his new hero that he promises to buy a hotel with a swimming pool where Larry can be a lifeguard for the rest of his days. The affable polar bear's comical adventures continue to unfold in At the Hotel Larry, Bongo Larry, and Ice Cream Larry. In this endearingly odd picture book, Larry goes to Cohen's Cones, the ice-cream shop, where he complains of overheating and is allowed to sleep in the walk-in freezer. Of course, while he's in there, he eats 250 pounds of ice cream.

"I don't see how you can let a bear into your freezer and not expect him to eat ice cream," I said. "He ate a lot," Mrs. Cohen said. "Well, he's a bear." "I suppose." "I didn't eat any of the almond crunch," Larry said. "Could I have some now please?"

The next day, Larry's picture is in the Daily World with the headline "Bear Eats 1/8 Ton Ice Cream," and the caption "'I do not feel sick,' says bear." The next thing you know, Mr. I. Berg from Iceberg Ice Cream tracks Larry down for a big marketing campaign. He takes the now famous polar bear away in a very large car to visit his modern-day ice-cream factory in Maryland, where together they develop the "Larry Bar." It comes in blueberry, bearberry, and even codfish to suit Baffin Bay tastes. The new advertising slogan? "I do not feel sick." Comic genius Daniel Pinkwater and illustrator Jill Pinkwater succeed again with this strange, and strangely sweet, story of the always polite and usually hungry polar bear and his devoted owners. Anyone who hasn't met Larry should really be introduced. (Ages 4 to 8, but amusing for all ages) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-Another picture book starring Larry, that fortunate polar bear whose mishaps only serve to solidify his position as the beloved lifeguard at the Hotel Larry. This story begins when young Mildred Frobisher, daughter of the hotel proprietors, answers a call from a frantic ice-cream store owner; Larry has eaten an eighth of a ton of ice cream while resting in her walk-in freezer. The resulting publicity catches the eye of businessman I. Berg, who hires Larry as his celebrity spokesbear, complete with his own line of ice-cream bars, with flavors running from arctic almond to codfish, and the ad slogan: "I do not feel sick." As before, Larry's warmhearted and literal interpretations of the human world lead to hilarious misunderstandings. Daniel Pinkwater's masterful deadpan humor appeals to somewhat sophisticated tastes, despite the book's childlike look. The pen-and-marker illustrations convey the immense impact of Larry's presence on his human family. The combination of the absurd with the kindness of true friendship makes this a solid purchase.
Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761450432
• ISBN-13: 978-0761450436
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Birth of the Cold, April 21, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ice-Cream Larry (Hardcover)

The former "Bongo Larry" returns as "Ice Cream Larry" in this delightful continuation of the Pinkwaters' series about the multi-talented polar bear. Jill Pinkwater's vivid, varied colors (pen and ink, and colored marker) and Daniel Pinkwater's droll prose combine for another hit. Here, Larry gets in trouble after eating 250 pounds of ice cream from the walk-in freezer at Cohen's Cones. Larry is full of excuses, including a claim that he ate the ice cream in his sleep! After hearing of his exploits ("Bear eats 1/8 Ton Ice Cream"), Mr. I. Berg comes to the Hotel Larry with a proposition to enhance the reputation of the Iceberg Ice-Cream Company: A new line of Larry ice cream bars, including codfish flavor. Somehow it all goes well, even with the company's dubious new slogan--a quote from Larry--"I do not feel sick!"

This is a simple yet very entertaining story that succeeds because of the dry humor that Pinkwater injects throughout the book. There's a bit of a wink to the reader, but it's never too obvious or condescending--Pinkwater plays it straight. Just about as good as "Bongo Larry," and printed on high quality paper with excellent illustrations, this would be an excellent gift for any animal/ice cream lover that you know.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite picture book, March 23, 2003

By 

Ellen Romano (Hayward, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice-Cream Larry (Hardcover)

I am a kindergarten teacher, and while my students enjoy this book, I don't think they like it more than I do. I read this book to my husband and teen-aged sons, and have read it for my own pleasure many times. I think this book could be well used in a high school English class when discussing tone or comic timing. I only wish that the Larry books would come out in paperback so that more people could enjoy them, and that another old Pinkwater favorite, Roger's Umbrella,were still in print.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Larry is Cool, Not a Fool, September 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ice-Cream Larry (Hardcover)

Ice Cream Larry is one of a series of books about Larry, a polar bear, who lives at a hotel and works as a lifeguard at the hotel pool. Larry has never eaten a human being, but he is always hungry, and in this book he eats 250 pounds of ice cream and wants more. His greed leads him to fame as the spokesbear of the Iceberg Ice Cream company and a new product is named after him. The Larry Bar comes in many flavors including blueberry and codfish. The Larry books are hilarious, and the illustrations colorful and engaging. I have read this book many, many times to my 3-year old, who never gets tired of Larry's antics with his brother Roy and his friends at the hotel, the Frobishers... The phrase "And I don't feel sick!" has become one of our standard jokes when we eat ice cream (or anything else we like a lot!)