From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6. Meet Uncle Switch?a man who gets everything backwards. He eats grass and feeds the cows linguini. He gives the turkey a meal on Thanksgiving while his guests peck birdseed. And ripe apples jump off the ground, reattach themselves to his tree, and turn green. Although the idea of someone who mixes everything up is one with strong appeal for children, the premise is hampered here by Kennedy's not-very-good limericks. Many of them do not read well out loud and lack the strong and regular rhythm traditionally associated with the form, leaving readers forced to work too hard at making sense of the nonsense. It is a shame because O'Brien's familiar style of watercolor-and-ink illustration is well suited to creating the kind of controlled chaos the author tried to achieve. For very deep poetry collections or die-hard fans of the illustrator.?Carrie Schadle, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 6^-8. Subtitled Loony Limericks, this colorful book features 22 verses describing the antics of Uncle Switch, who is, by all accounts, a backwards fellow. "When his frog Freddy sings, Uncle croaks, / And he blubbers when told funny jokes. / Peeling onions, he laughs, / And he snaps photographs / Of his camera to send to its folks." Not only that, Uncle Switch fetches sticks for his hound, bites an attacking mosquito (causing quite an itch), and watches the red apples beneath his tree leap from the ground to the branch, where they turn green. Not every limerick hits the mark, but overall, this is an enjoyable collection, made even better by O'Brien's witty ink drawings with watercolor washes. Reflecting the droll humor of the limericks, the illustrations make the verse even more accessible to young children. Carolyn Phelan
