From Publishers Weekly
Following his profoundly political We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy, Sendak applies his prodigious talents to this self-indulgent tale by Yorinks (Hey, Al), Sendak's partner in The Night Kitchen, a foundation for children's theater. An ungainly combination of Gulliver's Travels, the Christopher Columbus story and satire about Jewish retirees in Miami Beach, the narrative sends one Giuseppe Giaweeni from 15th- or 16th-century Italy across the sea in search of China; he lands in Miami. "My-mom-mee?" reads a voice bubble over one crewman's head. "Me-hoo-mee?" asks the dog, "May-hem-mee?" questions another traveler, and, in one of many bits of shtick, Giaweeni himself says, "So I swerved a little." There they find "a lost tribe of dancing giants" known as the Mishbookers (how many readers will know that this name is related to the Yiddish word for "family"?). Giaweeni brings one Joe Mishbooker back to Europe to perform onstage ("Where's the bathroom?" asks the giant, squeezed into a palazzo, his head scraping the ceiling). But the audience flees the theater on Joe's opening night-are Yorinks and Sendak mocking the puniness of readers who fail to appreciate artists of great stature? Unfortunately, their collaboration is likely to merit much the same reception as Giaweeni and Joe's. Not even Sendak's superbly colored and operatically conceived illustrations can turn this in-joke into a story for public consumption. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4?Children will need a knowledge of history and a pretty sophisticated sense of humor to enjoy this book to its fullest; it's apparent that Yorinks and Sendak had a fabulous time creating it, but something seems to have been lost in the translation. Explorer Guiseppe Giaweeni leaves Italy to look for China with the King and Queen's blessing?"And don't be a stranger" ringing in his ears. Instead of China, he discovers Miami and a lost tribe of Giants called the Mishbookers who reside there. After some horse trading and fast talking, Giaweeni convinces Joe to return to Europe with him. Joe is billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World and, after much anticipation, performs before a packed theater. Unfortunately, the people in the audience misinterpret Joe's dance and, thinking he's gone berserk, flee for their lives. Giaweeni returns the giant to his family and heads out to discover new lands. And the Mishbookers, well, they moved to Long Island, "But this is not a proven fact." The Yiddish phrases, sprinkled throughout the narrative, provide much of the story's amusement. Sendak's watercolors overflow the pages, with larger-than-life characters and activities. Visual puns, such as a boot stepping on a china plate, add to the book's broad humor. The text's comic patter partnered with the slapstick illustrations are reminiscent of a vaudeville act?there's a lot of adult humor here, and quite a bit that kids will find downright silly.?Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
