The Picture of Morty and Ray [Hardcover]

Daniel Pinkwater (Author), Jack E. Davis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

A classic horror movie on TV inspires Morty and Ray to paint a picture of themselves for all the wrong reasons. You may be tempted to cry out, "Stop!" But the boys are having too much fun to listen.

Bubbling with questions of pickle juice and Art, Daniel Pinkwater's riotous tale tells of nice boys heading for trouble and friendship put to the test. Visual virtuoso Jack E. Davis pulls out all the stops to give readers a wild ride.

Were this a movie, it would win an Oscar.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Inspired by watching The Picture of Dorian Gray on TV, Morty and Ray paint a magical picture of their own. Then the boys eagerly misbehave to see if their painting changes. Sure enough, as they clog toilets, push little kids, and stick "our butts out the window" of the school bus, the picture gets uglier. Then they get tired of it, give it to a friend, and go off to drink pickle juice. The two friends are sort of a junior version of Beavis and Butthead. They take true pleasure in gross and disgusting things, which comes through in the pleasingly grotesque, cartoon illustrations; heavily detailed and busy, the art is in full color, with movie scenes in shades of gray. Morty's narration captures the simple idiocy of the two boys: "`Neat!' Ray shouted. `It is a neat movie!' `Did you see what a neat picture?' Neat!'" The irreverent tone of the text is well matched by the art, but there's not much else to this book. The mischief-making antics might draw a laugh or two, but the inane plot has little else to offer. Compared to better-developed troublemakers such as James Marshall's Cut-Ups and George and Harold from Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic), Morty and Ray are pretty forgettable.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. A hilarious retelling of "The Portrait of Dorian Gray," this finds Morty and Ray watching the black-and-white Hollywood classic, and then trying to make their (crayon) self-portrait turn ugly via assorted dastardly deeds. From leaving wads of chewed gum in a water fountain to mooning passersby from the school bus window, the mischievous chums cackle delightedly at each stage of the silly transformation. After squirting their friend Oscar with pickle juice and stuffing the offending vegetable down his pants, the drawing becomes too hideous even for Morty and Ray, and they come to their senses and call a halt to their reign of terror. Pinkwater's simple text makes the story easy to read, and the grossology a la Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books is sure to tickle even the youngest reader. Best of all, Davis' wry, delightful illustrations bathe the rather dark, gloomy tale in a kid-friendly light. Terry Glover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Ed. edition (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066237858
• ISBN-13: 978-0066237855
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,985,927 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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Picture Book, September 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Picture of Morty and Ray (Hardcover)

Pinkwater gets inside the heads of two friends who discover the joys of an old black-and-white movie on TV. It's The Picture of Dorian Grey, hilariously depicted in monochrome by Jack E. Davis. The boys decide to create their own dual-self-portrait, and then misbehave to see if the picture becomes hideous like the one in the movie, (and the Oscar Wilde classic). It does! But their delight turns to dismay when they, and the ghastly picture, go too far. They then learn a basic lesson about differences in taste. I heard Pinkwater immodestly review his own book with Scott Simon on NPR--but I forgive him. Pinkwater and Davis have created a masterpiece.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Fun, January 13, 2004

By 

C. T. Mikesell (near Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Picture of Morty and Ray (Hardcover)

Inspired by "The Portrait of Dorian Gray," this book retells Wilde's classic story for children. The illustrations are enjoyable, if a bit gross. The storyline feels a lot like something that Pugsley and Wednesday Addams would do. The mischief that Morty and Ray get into is appropriate for 1st through 4th graders - if your kids are going to do it anyway, you might as well impress upon them the effect poor behavior has on one's character early. The moral of the story is left for parents to impart as needed, or for the reader to infer on his or her own.

I bought this as a gift for a friend's son, a 1st grader, and he really enjoyed it. I will probably buy another to add to my son's library in a few years - I may buy it now and just enjoy it myself until he gets old enough to appreciate it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wilde Adventure!, September 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Picture of Morty and Ray (Hardcover)

Best friends Morty and Ray have a great idea after watching a "Picture" on TV, but their hijinks may have unforseen effects. Pouring pickle juice down anyone's pants really isn't very nice!

Pinkwater and Davis are a great team. The illustrations are a work of art and the surprise ending will really get you thinking!