New in Town

by Kevin Cornell, Kevin Cornell (Illustrator)

Overview

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

One fine morning, the people of Puddletrunk wake up to find their bridge has collapsed. They are not surprised. After all, termites have destroyed the last 200 or so bridges. Luckily, the people of Puddletrunk have a bridge-building expert in their town: the fabulous Mortimer Gulch, who will gladly rebuild their bridge for a pretty penny. But when a newcomer to Puddletrunk does not want to pay for the repairs, Mortimer is displeased. To make matters worse, this unusual foreigner has some innovative ideas that threaten to upend Mortimer Gulch's entire business . . .

Here is a whimsical yet timely picture book allegory about what new people with new ideas can bring to communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374390280
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	59 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kevin Cornell is the author and illustrator of Lucy Fell Down the Mountain (FSG Books for Young Readers). He is known for his humor and has illustrated many books, websites, and comics such as The Chicken Squad, Count the Monkeys, The Terrible Two, and Mustache! He spends his time in Philadelphia drawing made-up things.

Editorial Reviews

05/24/2021

After the bridge that joins the village of Puddletrunk to the mainland is mysteriously eaten by termites—again—green, pointy-eared Mortimer Gulch sets about organizing a repair fund for the bridge’s 273rd replacement. Wearing an impressive string of fashionable suits, Gulch squeezes the villagers out of resources with a smarmy, unsettling grin. When a stout clock repairman who is “new in town... and did not know how things worked,” offers to repair the clock tower in lieu of contributing, readers know instantly that the refusal will cause trouble. Cornell (Chapter Two Is Missing) pits the diminutive, tan-skinned newcomer against Mr. Gulch, whose cultlike sway over the villagers is seen in their subservient offerings of lemonade and hot dogs during the bridge-building. Grinch-like menace meets Bartleby-esque certitude in a cuckoo-clock European village whose candy-colored fuschias, oranges, and powder blues are lit with warm, cinematic accents and embellished with flourishes of hand-lettered type. Pure entertainment is on offer here; there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing an evildoer get his comeuppance and an unlikely hero prevail, and Cornell delivers. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"When the town finally overcomes its bridge dilemma, 'Everyone enjoy[s] themselves immensely!' Readers will, too. A towering achievement." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Pure entertainment is on offer here; there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing an evildoer get his comeuppance and an unlikely hero prevail, and Cornell delivers." —Publishers Weekly

"Here’s a classic David vs. Goliath tale, with a twist—or possibly more than one...The book’s success lies in the sliminess of Mr. Gulch; the surprise outcome; the many clever details in the illustrations (including a blueprint that reveals what the repairman intended, all along); and the mismatch between the narration and the story being told in the illustrations. The palette’s lurid colors, the exaggerated figures, even the curlicue font all match and reinforce the over-the-top, funny, and many-times-pore-over-able story."—The Horn Book

"This will capture young readers’ hearts and imaginations with its messages of open-mindedness and creativity when it comes to inviting new ideas and people into one’s life." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

K-Gr 2—The people of Puddletrunk are being swindled out of their money and jewels by a shady resident named Mortimer Gulch. Speaking as an expert in bridge-building, Gulch convinces them termites have destroyed their beloved bridge for the 273rd time. When a traveling clock repairman offers free work on the clock tower in exchange for his share of the donation for the repair of the bridge, Mortimer lets slip his "toothy" true identity. By morning, a secure and cost efficient bridge is built, and the people of Puddletrunk can celebrate the real hero in town. Cornell's (Go to Sleep, Monster) illustrations contain fantastical teetering structures set atop a tall cliff, and whimsical characters who have adapted to living in isolation surrounded by the clouds in the sky. VERDICT This will capture young readers' hearts and imaginations with its messages of open-mindedness and creativity when it comes to inviting new ideas and people into one's life.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake P. L., Alta.

School Library Journal

★ 2021-06-16
A crafty bridge troll, suspicious termites, and an ambitious tower project figure into a meticulously detailed and playful outing.

The precariously poised town of Puddletrunk, which rests on an island, has a big problem. Its hundreds of attempts at building a bridge to the outside world continually fail due to termites. That’s to the benefit of Mortimer Gulch, a green bridge troll who is more than happy to keep attempting new bridge projects as long as the town keeps filling his pockets with cash and jewelry. Gulch has a problem of his own: a newly arrived traveling repairman, a man of color, who’s interested in rebuilding the clock tower. The repairman, who’s determined to protect his materials from termites, stands in the way of Gulch’s scheme; it turns out the troll is destroying the bridges himself and blaming the collapses on nonexistent vermin. Gulch’s greed ultimately backfires in a satisfying conclusion that finds the repairman staying to continue improving Puddletrunk. Though the plot is a simple reversal, the book’s comedically styled design, with visual jokes and bits of town business happening along the edges of every page, makes for an extremely engaging read that’s worth repeating. From Gulch’s lemonade and hot dogs to the pinned-up documentation of each bridge project, Cornell’s paintings are stuffed with wit. Even the curling storybook type does a little bit of lifting in a book that doesn’t miss any opportunities to delight. When the town finally overcomes its bridge dilemma, “Everyone enjoy[s] themselves immensely!” Readers will, too. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A towering achievement. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews