Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog [Library Binding]

Patrick Loehr (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Where the rain falls and the wind howls, little Mucumber's stomach growls.

But what can he do when there's nothing to chew, like apples or crackers or porridge or stew?

But wait—a hot dog!—albeit quite old . . . and wrinkled and lumpy and lonely and cold.

We all know it's true—food is better when new.

But if you were that hungry, what would you do?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—This book opens to an ominous spread of a dark and rainy night; a large stone house; and a pale, thin boy in a black suit. The rhyming text tells the plight of this child, Mucumber McGee, who has missed lunch and dinner and is very hungry. He finds one lone hot dog in the back of the icebox and consumes half of it before his sister steps in to deliver a lecture on the hazards of eating raw meat. Mucumber spends the rest of the book dramatically awaiting his death, until Mother arrives. "Sweet Mucumber, don't worry./If you'd only looked,/the package says clearly:/Hot dogs are precooked!" While the text gets a little over-the-top, the illustrations, full of dark shadows and threatening details, are humorously macabre—the gothic figures in the old portraits are always eating something unexpected like pancakes or a turkey leg. Mucumber's faithful pet lizard also helps to keep the mood from getting too heavy. For the youngest fans of dark humor.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Humorously macabre…For the youngest fans of dark humor." -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060823283
• ISBN-13: 978-0060823283
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,082,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, My sides Ache!, July 4, 2007

By 

A. Lake "selkiegirl" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog (Hardcover)

While I don't own this gem yet, I will! The dark, moody illustrations are reminsient of Gorey and Grimly. The rhyming verses are hilarious as Mucumber melodramaticcally prepares to die after eating one half of a cold hot dog. Beautiful and silly!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Silly Chicks Review, September 30, 2007

By 

Three Silly Chicks "www.ThreeSillyChicks.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog (Hardcover)

This title was reviewed by Three Silly Chicks - Readers, Writers, and Reviewers of funny books for kids. [...]



Mucumber McGee is feeling a little peckish. Alas, there is nothing in the house to eat! He scours the pantry and looks through every cupboard - all of them bare. Luckily, the icebox holds a great surprise! Tucked in the very back is one single, solitary raw hotdog. Mucumber snarfs down half of the hotdog before his sister arrives with terrible news. "Don't you know, Mucumber, that hotdogs are made of meat? And fleshy meat that is not cooked is deadly bad to eat!"

As his sister explains, Poor Mucumber is destined to die. She even has a diagram to illustrate the effects of eating a raw tube steak: innards + bacterium + the theory of relativity = death! It's all over for Mucumber. He's toast! There's nothing to do but go to his room and wait for the end. Luckily, Mucumber's mother is much wiser than his sister and all's well that ends well. Of course, all is even better that ends in a great feast for a very hungry boy!

This is a simple tale of hunger and the power of suggestion illustrated in a delightfully dark and slightly sinister style. Loehr mixes his own delightful style with one part Edward Gorey, one part Addams Family, and one part hotdog and comes up with a delicious tale!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Illustrations!, August 6, 2007

By 

K. Ernst (Parker, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog (Hardcover)

I don't know how Caldecott nominations are made, but this book should be given consideration. Outstanding artwork enhances and extends a delightful story. I would love to read more about Mucumber McGee's tribulations and am hopeful that he will be a recurring character in future children's books.