Little Hobbin [Hardcover]

Theodor Storm (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator), Anthea Bell (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

After his mother becomes exhausted wheeling him around the room, Little Hobbin devises a way to keep his crib rolling and, with the help of the moon, rolls out of the house, into the street, to the end of the world, and into the sky.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zwerger's exquisite artwork lights up the pages of this gentle cautionary tale by a 19th-century German writer. Hobbin, a demanding lad, loves to be on the go. Ensconced in a movable crib, he wears out his poor mother with his constant cries of "Wheel me!" One night Hobbins is delighted to discover that he can propel himself by hoisting his nightshirt like a sail, and, in the company of the kind old moon, exits the house and flits through town, forest and sky. But he doesn't know when enough is enough, and so the sun decides for him, bringing the fun to an unexpected end. It's a delightful bit of nonsense, smoothly told and lustrously illustrated with insets and whimsically bordered full-page art. Zwerger's restrained use of color and delicacy of line perfectly mirrors the tale's fantastical elements. This may well be Zwerger's best work to date. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?This odd cautionary tale written in 1849 has been abbreviated and illustrated. Hobbin, a fearless, demanding little boy, is unable to get his fill of being wheeled around in his crib. He makes a sail out of his nightshirt when his mother falls asleep and rolls up the walls and over the ceiling, up a moonbeam, through the keyhole, up and down the nighttime streets, through the dark forest, "...over the moors to the world's end, and straight on into the sky." When the moon and stars disappear, the sun throws the boy into the sea, where his small bed sinks: "...that's when you and I came to the rescue and picked up little Hobbin in our boat. If we hadn't saved him, he might well have drowned." Zwerger's soft paintings reflect the dreamlike quality of the story. While this fantastic bedtime tale might cause some children to chuckle, it lacks the substance and charm of Nancy Willard's Nightgown of the Sullen Moon (Harcourt, 1983) and the delightful detail of Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen (HarperCollins, 1970), both of which have less text per page and more illustrations.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Michael Neugebauer (North South Books) (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558584609
• ISBN-13: 978-1558584600
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,379,576 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Illustrations, September 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Hobbin (Hardcover)

The first time I saw this book was in a book store, where I flipped through it and was immediately caught by Lisbeth Zwerger's dreamlike illustrations - the image of the calm forever-lasting night, the giant old moon lady with pale round face and black overcoat moving slowly with curious little hobbin in his crib - the atmosphere is superbly presented by the water-colour in a form that I have never seen in other children books. Although there are only 6 full pages of picture plus some smalll ones, I personally think some of them are simply the best among zwerger's. If I didn't see it in the book store and compare it to other Zwerger's work, I wouldn't have bought it think of the few pages it has.