Edward and the Eureka Lucky Wish Company. Barbara Todd. Illustrated by Patricia Storms. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2009. 32 pp., hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-264-3. Subject Headings: Wishes-Juvenile fiction. Flight-Juvenile fiction. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7. Review by Ellen Heaney. **/4

Do you ever dream about having your lucky lotto number drawn and becoming a millionaire? Did you ever think you could be the one to find a magic lamp - and that you certainly would know how to use your wishes wisely?


     Edward is a young inventor with one foot in his workshop and the other literally in the clouds as his greatest dream is to fly on his bicycle which he has dubbed the Sky-Hopper 2000.


     After a few notable failures to take off, the boy goes dispiritedly to the park, where:
Edward spied a booth next to the hot dog man's cart.

'Wishes?' he said. 'Eureka!'

'Be careful,' said the salesman. 'A lot can happen with three wishes.'

He handed Edward a coupon, then folded up the booth,

Swirled his cloak around him and disappeared.




     As is demonstrated with the passage above, a lot of the story is told in the pictures, as anyone reading the words only would say, "Wishes? Salesman?"


     Inevitably, Edward bursts out thoughtlessly and wastes his wishes. But in a less-than-traditional twist, it seems that his coupon is stale dated, and so he can have one more. The last one - surprise! - fulfills his dreams, although not without the assistance of two helpful pelicans.


     There are a few too many elements in this chaotic tale, a few too many gaps in the narrative. I was caught off-guard by the appearance of the Bog Bubbler in the bathroom and the polar bears sitting on the lawn in the bathtub that has gone missing. Todd is not new to the field of writing for children, but I feel some better editing could have been used to direct her efforts The artwork, which may be familiar to readers of Chickadee magazine looks a bit hasty (some of it has been manipulated in Adobe Photoshop), although it is action-packed.


     I wish we had gotten to know Edward a bit more early on in the story so we could truly be rooting for him and his aspirations.

Recommended.

Ellen Heaney is Head of Children's Services at the New Westminster Public Library, New Westminster, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE- April 17, 2009.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME