Mrs. Biddlebox (Golden Kite Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

by Linda Smith (Author), Marla Frazee (Illustrator) "On a knotty little hill, In a dreary little funk, Mrs. Biddlebox rolled over On the wrong side of the bunk..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Gloomy feelings don't stand a chance in this snappy picture book about a woman who kicks a dreary little funk with her can-do spirit. When Mrs. Biddlebox wakes up on the wrong side of her bunk, the morning looks gray: The birds gave her a headache./ There were creakies in her chair. With only some bitter tea and some hard-to-chew crumpets for breakfast, Mrs. Biddlebox quickly decides to set things to rights the best way she knows: I will cook this rotten morning/ I will turn it into cake! Her off-the-cuff recipe calls for whisking the dark and dull clouds, fog and all into a great pot before shaping it into a crumbly delight. Satiated by her sweet treat, Mrs. Biddlebox toddles off for a restful night s sleep. In the rhyming text inspired by the late Smith's (When Moon Fell Down) battle with cancer, positive thinking prevails, setting off a satisfying chain of events. The jaunty rhythm of Smith's words captures the energy of her protagonist s out-of-the-box thinking and sheer determination. Young readers may well come away with a new zeal for their own endeavors. Frazee (The Seven Silly Eaters) uses pencil lines and cross-hatching to dramatic effect in depicting Mrs. Biddlebox's dark surroundings. Swirls of white and spindly gold-yellow let the sun in at just the right moment. Memorable scenes include a spread featuring the ample-bottomed baker dancing around the oven, her frizzy pigtail bopping along. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Poor Mrs. Biddlebox gets up on the wrong side of the bunk. In the throes of a "dreary little funk," she has an idea: "I will cook this rotten morning!/I will turn it into cake!/I will fire up my oven!/I will set the day to bake!" She gathers up the gloom and after twirling fog like spaghetti and rolling up the sky like carpeting, she bakes the entire bad day and eats it. "Now with her belly full of crumblies/And her nighty cap pulled tight,/She threw the door wide open/And welcomed in the night!" Frazee's dramatic illustrations slather the pages in black and gray with subtle color highlights and eerie swirls of white. If gloom and doom have a face, this could be it. However, the depictions are not without humor. Mrs. B. is a determined little witch with a great shock of frizzled ponytail. She gleefully struts around the baking bad day and devours it greedily. While the book looks like a Halloween title, its overarching theme is one of empowerment by facing one's troubles squarely.
Mary Ann Carcich, Mattituck-Laurel Public Library, Mattituck, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060286903
• ISBN-13: 978-0060286903
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,133,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids loved this book!, October 26, 2002

By	"alexwriter" (Miami, Fl. USA) - See all my reviews

I chose this book because I liked it and, particularly, because my family loved Smith's previous title, WHEN MOON FELL DOWN. With its purposely gloomy-looking cover, MRS. BIDDLEBOX was a bit of a sell for my three-year-old (whose tastes usually run more to the FROGGIE titles), but as soon as I started reading it to Meredith, she was enthralled. My seven-year-old enjoyed it too. The illustrations are adorable and a perfect compliment to the extended metaphor of the text. It is a wonderful book about making the best of a bad day.

That first time I sat down with MRS. BIDDLEBOX, I had to read it three times . . . and I enjoyed every one of them!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I gave it a chance!!!, October 21, 2005

By	K. - See all my reviews

After great reviews here, I ordered this book for my 3 1/2 year old. But when I received it, I didn't think she would like it and considered returning it. The pictures have a lot of black and white, and normally she loves very colorful books, like her favorite The Spiffiest Giant in Town (only in paperback here at Amazon). But when she saw this sitting out, she opened it up and immediately said, "Mama, what's this book? Read it!" Then she had me read it two more times! She sometimes has me read a book for a second time, but hardly ever for a third time-- and she referred to this box quite a few times the rest of the day! Guess I can't assume I know what a little girl would like. I thought the concept would go way over her head-- how Mrs. Biddlebox put the yucky day in a pot and baked it into a yummy cake-- but my daughter found the whole ideal so intriguing. When I gave it a first read, I analyzed the sentences as we went along so she'd understand. After that, I'd just read, and she'd ask questions. It's amazing how creative a child's imagination is, and this book added to my daughter's imagination.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seize the Day...and Take a Bite!, November 26, 2002

By	Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

In author Linda Smith's two year battle with cancer she may have learned more than her fair share about "waking up on the wrong side of the bunk" but she also learned about how to use her talents to deal with those "dreary little funks." She has given us the delightful story of Mrs. Biddlebox, a very clever and talented witchey lady with a big curly black ponytail who, one day, wakes up in a very dreary funk indeed! Even the singing birds give her a headache. She decides "I will cook this rotten morning! I will turn it into cake! I will fire up my oven! I will set the day to bake!" With a wealth of magical know-how Mrs. Biddlebox does exactly that and the results are tasty! Marla Frazee has illustrated the enchanting Mrs. Biddlebox to perfection and helped to create a wonderful picture book filled with humor and whimsy that is guaranteed to cure any dreary funk that might come your way. Enjoy!