Quentin Fenton Herter III [Hardcover]

Amy MacDonald (Author), Giselle Potter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A sly rhyme about the pitfalls of being too bad – or good!

Quentin Fenton Herter III . . .
remembered always to say “Please,”
to wash behind his ears and knees.

He never ran but always walked,
and sat quite still when grown-ups talked.

BUT . . . Quentin Fenton has a shadow (named Quentin Fenton Herter Three!). Never good and always bad, this Quentin loves to make a mess, break rules, and boss his friends. How the two come to change their ways during a long, boring tea with “doilies, dust, and aged ones” aptly shows that no one is all good or bad – and makes a hilarious comedy of manners that is sure to delight good (and bad) children everywhere. Irresistibly illustrated by Giselle Potter with her characteristic wit and whimsy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Quentin Fenton Herter Third always does exactly what he should, from closing his mouth when he chews to putting away his toys. But Quentin Fenton has an awfully naughty shadow, who calls himself Quentin Fenton Herter Three. Three interrupts, stays up late, and never flosses. How do these two feel about each other? "They loathed each other cordially,/ did Quentin Third and Quentin Three." Strangely enough, though, they also envy each other "--a bit." And when good little Third has the opportunity to be bad one day, guess who steps in to take his place as a perfect gentleman?

Amy MacDonald's clever rhymes are nicely complemented by Giselle Potter's unusual, naïve-style illustrations (seen also in Kate and the Beanstalk and The Honest-to-Goodness Truth). Quentin Third, with his lacquered hair, pristine white shirt, and prissy face, is the perfect foil to shadowy Quentin Three's sloppy looks and insolent expression. Good kids and bad kids alike will cheer at the happily balanced resolution. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Tongue-in-cheek moral verse and puckish paintings of the pasty-faced Quentin and his evil clone provide drama, laughs and a reasonable vision of juvenile behavior. In MacDonald's (Cousin Ruth's Tooth) adroit couplets, Quentin Fenton Herter III emerges as a Goody Two-shoes who harbors a secret desire to be bad: "What Quentin Third would not admit:/ He wanted to be bad a bit./ To throw a tiny little fit./ To drive his mother mad. (Admit:/ You've often you, too thought of it.)" Meanwhile, Quentin's "shadow," Quentin Three, spends his waking hours in a veritable spree of transgressions ("His friends he chivvied, teased and bossed./ And sad but true he never flossed!"), yet he dreams, just once, of doing good. The rebellion unfolds at a stuffy tea party: Quentin Third, unable to bear civilization a minute longer, loses his temper and sneezes all over his aunts' crumpets, and Quentin Three assumes the role of docile guest. Potter's (Three Cheers for Catherine the Great!) marionette-like figures wear a melange of period clothing, with the boys in knee pants, their teacher in a natty plaid suit and the aunts in governessy Edwardian dress. She enlivens the interiors via a series of running visual jokes (e.g., they have twin sets of toys, with Quentin Three's in predictable disrepair). Readers will appreciate the Quentins' double liberation: "Were they GOOD?/ Or were they BAD?/ The answer is, as you might guess,/ a loud, resounding, heartfelt... YES!" All ages.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374361703
• ISBN-13: 978-0374361709
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,761 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 A Rare Book, May 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Quentin Fenton Herter III (Hardcover)

This is a rare picture book, funny and intelligent in an old fashioned way. My 8 year old can't get enough of it. the pictures are perfect and the rhymes are, too. It's a great book, especially for kids with a naughty streak. And what kid doesn't have a naughty streak(or at least a naughty urge, like Quentin III)?? I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite, October 25, 2005

By 

C. Cotter "Chicago Mom" (Oak Park, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quentin Fenton Herter III (Hardcover)

We first found this book at the library, and my three year old son can't get enough of it. I like it because it has nice, intelligent language and a lilting meter that makes it fun to read out loud. He likes it because a little boy sneezes on his aunts. Hilarious stuff to a three year old! Highly recommend.