The Moffats (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Louis Slobodkin (Illustrator) "The way Mama could peel apples!..." (more)
Key Phrases: yellow house, pumpkin head, bread box, Peter Frost, New Dollar Street, Chief Mulligan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Who else but a member of the Moffat family could, during kindergarten recess, accidentally hitch a ride out of town on a boxcar? Or wind up trapped in the breadbox outside the delicatessen store? Or kindly offer to escort the Salvation Army man to his destination--only to accidentally bump him out of his own horse-drawn wagon? The Moffats is a paradigm of old-fashioned family fun. Four children and a hard-working widowed mother live together on New Dollar Street in the village of Cranbury. Their seemingly quiet lives are studded with almost daily unexpected adventures, with droll results.

This charming book has been making readers smile for over half a century. It reflects a gentler era, when the jolly chief of police had time to sit on the curb to hear a little girl's "crimes" and a little boy's escapade on a train was not cause for media panic, just a simple redirecting by the agreeable engineer. Eleanor Estes, author of the Newbery Honor book The Hundred Dresses, and Caldecott medalist Louis Slobodkin (Many Moons) make a lovely team in this story of benign humor and sweet times. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

. . . ideal family listening fare -- Booklist, February 15, 2003

The full cast treatment of this story adds texture and depth to the characters. -- Chicago Parent, February 2003

The performances are splendid. (Earphones Award Winner) -- Audiofile Magazine, February/March 2003 --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st Harcourt Young classics ed edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152025359
• ISBN-13: 978-0152025359
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,079,684 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eleanor Estes & The Moffats, July 27, 2000

By	Kathryn Thomas (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moffats (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed Eleanor Estes books since before I could read - my grandmother used to read them aloud to me. The situations faced by the Moffats not only give a glimpse into a simpler era, but also remind the reader that the important things in childhood never really change. Though the stories are set many years ago, the basic problems faced by the Moffat children are timeless. On my 13th birthday I was given a signed copy of 'The Moffats.' Until then I didn't know the author was my cousin and that the events in the Moffat books were based on her own childhood. Rufus was her beloved little brother Teddy. Jane (the middle Moffat) was Eleanor herself. The town of Cranberry is really West Haven, Connecticut. Rereading the books as an adult brings the old amusement park Savin Rock back to life. And my mother recalls riding the old trolley. Eleanor's books are as honest as she was herself; a reminder in this too-cynical world that children have much to teach us about what really matters if we have the wisdom to learn from them.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful little piece of life, December 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Moffats (Hardcover)

There is something so very special about the Moffet books. The author really seems to remember childhood as few authors do. She knows what kind of little moments are so important then, but disappear from most of our minds as we get older. She is especially good at describing places---the town the Moffets live in comes so alive, and I can picture just where their house is on their street, although it must have been 15 years since I last read this book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Moffats, March 4, 2004

By	sam4ever "sam4ever" (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moffats (Paperback)

Title: The Moffats
By: Eleanor Estes
Reviewed By: Samantha C.
Period:1

This book, the Moffats, is about a family of five. There is a mother and four children. Each of the children have their own special talent to make a basic job or activity into a bigger and more fun adventure. With their mischevious ways, going anywhere is fun. The children are Sylvie, who is the oldest, Joey, who sometimes think he is very superior, Janey, who has her own creative ways to seeing things, and Rufus, who can create trouble everywhere he goes. For example, they make a big deal about them having to sell their special house on New Dollar Street. They were able to think of so many ways from stopping people to buy, since all the Moffats thought the house they were living in was better then the others because they were able to see the whole street at one glance.
I enjoyed the book because it was very fun reading about the Moffat children making all kinds of mischievious problems. It was funny to see how Janey would be amazed with such little things. For example, in the first chapter, it qouted,"Jane could not take her eyes from her mother's hands. They had a way of doing things, peeling apples, sprinkling salt, counting pennies, that fascinated her". Janey was amazed at the way her mother did those simple tasks. Usually nobody really pays much attention to those small actions, but Janey sure does!

Another qoute is,"At last they were off, with Rufus in one of his every day sailor suits". When you first read this quote, ti may not mean much, but if you understand the background of that chapter, it will have more meaning to it. It was a Sunday morining, and the Moffats were all dressed up and ready to go to cghurch. While they waited for mother, Rufus had foolishly climbed up on the hitching post. Well, a naughty boy named Tom Frost, rode by on his bike and pushed Rufus to the ground. So Rufus had to change into one of his everyday clothes because that was the second time that happened all on the same day.

I didn't really have a favorite part because I enjoyed reading about all the adventures the Moffats were in. It was very enjoyable reading about the creativity that the Moffats had to create all the adventures. They make life very interesting for themselves, and always made the best in a situation, even if the situation may be unpleasant, like whenrufus got ill and had a mild case of scarlet fever. I recommend this book the readers who enjoy humorous and heart-warming stories.