From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1–Sonny, Mama, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa Shivers find themselves living in a strangely cold and dark place. Grandpa feels an earthquake coming; the world begins to shake, a great blazing light shows forth, and a monster appears, reaching out and out until…
PHOOMPH!!! The earthquake is over, the monster is gone, and the Shivers are plunged back into darkness. First, Cheesy Square disappears, and then Jelly is taken. Papa ponders their living conditions and sets off to find the family a warmer place to live. He climbs to the top of Buttery Cliff and the world begins to shake, a great blazing light shows forth, a monster appears, and Buttery Cliff and Papa are gone. Grandpa, Mama, and Grandma leave in a similar manner, and Sonny is left alone. He decides to face the monsters and climbs onto Purple Boulders. He is snatched up by a creature who smiles and announces, Mom! Look what I found! The last magnet! Sonny is flying and then
PLUNK! lands on the side of the fridge next to his family, who are all proudly stuck to the door, holding up important papers. Zelinsky's refrigerator world comes alive with the cold, the darkness, and the terror of the earthquakes, blazing lights, and creatures who snatch items and family members away from each other. Manushkin's humor softens the scary aspects of the story. A quirky and satisfying selection for those with a palate for adventure.–Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* Mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and one small boy are freezing cold. Although they vaguely remember another time when they were standing tall, now they must contend with darkness, earthquakes, and monsters plucking things from their frigid home. It will be fun to see how long it takes preschoolers to figure out that the family is living in the refrigerator--and that they are magnets. Manushkin tells their story in colorful language and with a high humor. The family must travel through Egg Valley and beware of Buttery Cliff. Emerald Lake is swimmable until it hardens into gelatin. There's a wonderful repeat in the story as, one by one, each of the family members decides that he or she must find a warmer place to live, attaching themselves to places like "the scary jungle" (a bunch of celery). The story's humor is matched by Zelinsky's inventive artwork, which picks up on the wit and slyness of the text. In the world that is the fridge, a boy can stand on a mountain of grapes, geographic landmarks can be plucked at a moment's notice, and dreams of happy families mingle with stalks of broccoli. Drawn with a frisson that may make readers shiver, these pictures are meant to look at again and again. Those who do may figure out how the family found themselves out in the cold.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
