Happy Harry's Cafe

by Michael Rosen, Richard Holland (Illustrator)

Overview

What’s not to love? A classic tale told with sly humor, for little ones with an appetite for laughs.

Harry makes great soup. So Harry’s friends are always running to his café just for that famous soup. One day, Ryan the Lion, Jo the Crow, and Matt the Cat all bustle into Harry’s shop. "Take it easy!" says Harry. But maybe Harry is taking it too easy? You see, Matt the Cat is not too happy with his soup today. Oy vey! He doesn’t want to kvetch, but won’t Harry please try it to find out what could possibly be wrong? Michael Rosen’s hilarious send-up of a beloved Jewish joke delightfully and deliciously leads you to the punch line, while Richard Holland’s whimsical animal characters burst with exuberance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763662394
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/09/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Michael Rosen is an award-winning author and anthologist of books for young readers, including Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, illustrated by Jane Ray, and Shakespeare: His Work & His World, illustrated by Robert Ingpen. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Richard Holland has illustrated many books, including The Time Book, Mary’s Penny, and The Museum Book. He lives in Essex, England.

Editorial Reviews

Rosen (Chanukah Lights) writes silly, loose-limbed wordplay for young audiences; insofar as this story is a story, it’s a nod to an old Yiddish joke about a disgruntled restaurant customer. Mostly, though, it’s a repeated chant, as visitors arrive at Harry the dog’s cafe, each with his or her own personality quirk. “Here’s Ryan the lion. He’s in a rush. He’s Rushing Ryan.” Each animal is calmed in turn by phlegmatic Harry: “Take it easy, Ryan,” says Harry. Soft charcoal lines help Holland’s (Mary’s Penny) matte mixed-media artwork feel as mellow as Harry (especially compared to the chunky typefaces that make Rosen’s prose resemble a kind of concrete poetry). Matt the Cat complains, “Hey, Harry. The soup’s no good. You come and try it, Harry.” “Hey, Matt,” says Harry. “There’s no spoon. You haven’t got a spoon.” Harry and Matt sing a short song (“If you don’t have a spoon, you can’t taste the soup. If you can’t taste the soup, the soup’s no good”), and that’s it. Although it may sound daft to grownups, Rosen’s sense of what children like is often spot on. Ages 3–5. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Holland’s mixed-media charcoals and collage offer enough to interest the eye, and embellished with improvised animal sounds and song, it could be an entertaining read-aloud.
—New York Times

Cheerful, bright, blocky mixed-media illustrations go well with the jocular intent of the story.
—School Library Journal

The full-page mixed-media illustrations are eye-catching, and coordinate well with the vibrantly large text. Little ones will enjoy these illustrations because of their simplicity. Combine this with the repetition of text, and a “soup song,” and this book is sure to become a steadfast favorite.
—Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 2—Harry (a bear or possibly a dog) makes great soup. Most of his animal friends love it, but Matt the cat says "The soup's no good." Why? Because he has no spoon-ba-dum-dum! After a good laugh, Matt gets a spoon, praises the soup, and he and Harry sing a soup song. This is a retelling of a famous Jewish joke (as noted in the flap copy), but Rosen is no Myron Cohen. The additional theme of encouraging people to stop to smell the roses, as evinced by Harry telling each rushing customer to "Take it easy," gets lost along the way. The punch line is so overexplained that it is no longer funny. It is further belabored in song, where lightly printed sheet music fails to guide readers in their singing. While the original joke is quite funny, the humor may be lost on young readers. Cheerful, bright, blocky mixed-media illustrations go well with the jocular intent of the story, but are not enough to save it.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

School Library Journal