The Squeaky Door [Library Binding]

Margaret Read MacDonald (Author), Mary Newell DePalma (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

It's time for bed!

Grandma tucks Little Boy in tight. She kisses him good night. She turns out the light. And he's not scared! No, not him!But when Grandma shuts that door . . .

Squeeeak!

How can Grandma keep that spooky, squeaky door from scaring her little boy awake at night?

Acclaimed storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald and illustrator Mary Newell DePalma spin an old folktale into a humorous bedtime story.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–When staying with his grandparents, a boy is frightened by the squeaky door to his bedroom. To comfort him, Grandma puts various animals in bed with him. In MacDonald's retelling, she tries a cat, dog, pig, and horse. When the bed breaks, the boy gets to sleep with his grandparents. The next morning Grandma oils the door, repairs the bed, and the child sleeps soundly after that. Other retellings include Laura Simms's The Squeaky Door (Random, 1991), Judith Mathews and Fay Robinson's Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly (S & S, 1994), and Pat Thomson's The Squeaky, Creaky Bed (Doubleday, 2003). This one is very similar to the language in Simms's version. All of the retellings are funny, and children enjoy the absurdity of the situation. DePalma's bright and colorful cartoon illustrations are full of humorous details, but are not large enough to share with a group. This book is best suited for one-on-one sharing and is also a great choice to add to storytelling repertoires.–Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. MacDonald--storyteller, author, and children's librarian--brings her experience to bear in this straightforward retelling of an old favorite, distinguished by the way the words are set down on the page. Ellipses, uppercase letters, exclamation points, and divergent spellings ("squeeeeeak!") signal readers to pause, raise or lower their voices, or inject drama into the cumulative tale of a misguided grandma who is certain a critter (or several) can help her grandson adjust to sleeping in a big-boy bed. When she realizes what's really causing the problem, she finds a quick solution: "She oiled that squeaky door." The art is as distinctive as the text. DePalma's illustrations, diminutive and detailed, envision a cozy home and loving grandma, whose comical endeavors to outfit animals in pj's and kiss them goodnight ("smack!") brim with clever touches, while double-page spreads reflect the child's apprehension and loneliness by gradually increasing the distance between the bed and the slowly closing door. Numerous spot illustrations make this impractical for pajama parties, but for lap sharing before bed, it is just perfect. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060283742
• ISBN-13: 978-0060283742
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald travels the world telling stories....always on the lookout for more great folktales to share. She shapes these found stories into tellable tales which anyone can share with ease. Filling her folktale collections with these delightful tales, she creates perfect read alouds for you and your family. MRM wants everyone to experience the joy of a beautifully told tale. She hopes you will read them a few times...then put down the book...put down the electronic device...and just TELL the story to your children!

Some of her favorite folktales she expands into picture books...hopefully with delightfully readable language while will roll right out of your mouth. Share them with your children and then....act the tales out! Revisit the tales by TELLING them! At bedtime. While on the road. Fill your pockets with great stories to share wherever you go.

Joining her Folklore Ph.D. with her 30 plus years as a children's librarian, Margaret brings folktales to life in playful, lilting language which should delight both reader and listener.

See her performance schedule at: www.margaretreadmaconald.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Door May Squeak, but the Book Sings!, December 20, 2007

By 

Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Squeaky Door (Hardcover)

I admit to being astonished that no one's done a review of this marvelous picture book yet. The Squeaky Door is a delightful addition to the collection of folktales from around the world that have been put into picture book form by the remarkable Margaret Read MacDonald.It is also one of the best read-alouds I have discovered this year. Ms. MacDonald is a storyteller and folklorist as well as an author, and many of her stories come from those she has heard and told over the years.

The framework of the tale is simple. Little Boy is staying over Grandmas, and gets to sleep in the big brass bed by himself. But all it takes is aformentioned squeaky door to ruin a good night's sleep. Grandma tries to help by bringing various animals in to stay in the bed with him. First the cat, then the dog, then the pig and finally, the horse. This growing menagerie finally overloads the bed--and it breaks. And Grandma finally takes care of that squeaky door. What makes this work so well, is the magic of the words. Everything is written to be read aloud and easily falls into a rythym that the audience will catch onto quickly. Most lines are repeated several times throughout the book, guaranteeing that children can join in with the words after the first or second repetition. As the title says, the book sings--even a reader not particularly adept at reading books aloud should be able to read this without too much trouble. The words remain fairly simple, and the story straight forward, but hilarious. It's a good read for children 3 to 6 years old. For older children, the best approach may be asking them to join in on Little Boy's responses to Grandma each time.

Then there are the pictures created by Mary Newell DePalma. The pictures are crafted to complement the text, with smaller images being placed on the pages with text and full page illustrations used for the sound effects of the door squeaking or the noises of Little Boy and the various animals. The illustrations for the door squeak gradually get larger and larger until they overtake the entire two page spread by the end. The pictures really add to the overall mood of the story and the hilarity of so many animals in the bed with Little Boy. While a large audience will appreciate what's going on, they may miss some of the more amusing details that an up close read reveal. My particular favorite is the cat tucked into bed with an eye mask on, but the horse in pyjamas is worth a chuckle too. Overall, this is a book with images that can work for a large audience, but can offer a one-on-one reader the advantage of discoveries with closer inspection.

For parents, librarians and teachers with young children to read to, I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is likely best for the 3 to 6 age group as it's a bit long for younger children and may not keep the attention of older children as well. If you like this picture book, you may want to check out "Little Rooster's Diamond Button" and "Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!" also folktales retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. Here's hoping this book finds it's way into many bookshelves in the future!

Happy Reading!^_^ Shanshad

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Daughter's favorite book!, February 6, 2010

By 

Go racing "D" (Somers NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Squeaky Door (Hardcover)

I had signed this book out of our local library and had read it to my daughters! I think the first time I had read it the power had gone out so to keep them interested and distracted from not having any power. I really animated it and they loved it. We laughed and giggled the whole way through. So of course when it was time to give it back the girls were sad. So the search began for this book and the search was unsuccessful. With that I knew exactly where I would be able to find this book here on Amazon!!! Thanks so much for making searching so easy with happy endings!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Squeaky Door is a hit!, April 29, 2008

By 

Louise (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Squeaky Door (Hardcover)

This is a GREAT read-aloud book. My 6-year-old has read along with me each night since we've had it. From the SQUEEEEEEAK of the door to the WAAAAAHs and WOOFs and OINKs - it''s impossible for the kids to refrain from joining in the telling of this tale. Wonderful illustrations tell more of the story than is written in the text. I highly recommend this book.