Until I Met Dudley: How Everyday Things Really Work [Library Binding]

Roger McGough (Author), Chris Riddell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997 | ISBN-10: 0802786243 | ISBN-13: 978-0802786241

A young girl used to have fantastic ideas about how things work, but Dudley tells her how it really is. Explains the workings of mechanical objects such as vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, dishwashers, toasters, and garbage trucks.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4. The book opens with a young girl's statement, "I thought I knew how a toaster worked...," and a humorous double-page elaboration of her idea. The illustrations show a friendly dragon toasting the bread with his fiery breath, aided by "toast elves" and assorted cogs, treadmills, and conveyor belts. Her explanation ends with the phrase, "Until I met Dudley...." The pencil-wielding, bespectacled dog gives a proper rundown of toaster technology on the following two pages. Numbered boxes of text outline the basic steps peppered with "POWs!" and "BOINGs!" to keep the tone light. The words surround a diagram of the toaster and its most important parts. This pattern continues as the girl describes the workings of four other household machines. Each of the silly scenarios is followed by Dudley's informative presentations. The dog avoids detailed discussion of more complicated elements such as electricity or hydraulic rams, but focuses instead on what the most basic moving pieces in each machine do. Young readers will laugh at the girl's ridiculous thoughts, but most will also learn something. Riddell's cartoons are lively, particularly those of the animal characters, and the factual pages are chock-full without being cluttered. Though the information here is less detailed than in such books as Alan Snow's How Dogs Really Work (1993) and The Truth About Cats (1996, both Little, Brown), John Kelly's The Robot Zoo (Turner, 1994; o.p.), and Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's "Magic School Bus" series (Scholastic), the mixture of cartoon humor and real facts has a similar appeal.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802786243
• ISBN-13: 978-0802786241
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,863,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but not very informative, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Until I Met Dudley: How Everyday Things Really Work (Hardcover)

The editorial review is pretty much on the mark! The book outlines a child's "silly" idea about how an everyday household item works, and then Dudley supposedly clues us in to how the item REALLY works. The "silly" ideas are actually pretty amusing, but the real explanations are hard to follow, and in some cases missing key information. Any kid who was hoping to discover what the title promises will be disappointed.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but not very informative, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Until I Met Dudley: How Everyday Things Really Work (Hardcover)

The editorial review is pretty much on the mark! The book outlines a child's "silly" idea about haw an everyday household item works, and the Dudley supposedly clues us in to how the item REALLY works. The "silly" ideas are actually pretty amusing, but the real explanations are hard to follow, and in some cases missing key information. Any kid who was hoping to discover what the title promises will be disappointed.