The Sword in the Stove

by Frank W. Dormer, Frank W. Dormer (Illustrator)

Overview

Two knights have their dinner plans derailed as they discover object after object in their stove—objects that ominously belong to their missing friend, Harold—in this delightfully slapstick picture book.

Someone has put a sword in the stove.
Was it Eenie?
Was it Meenie?
Was it Harold?
WHO WOULD PUT A SWORD IN THE STOVE!?

Frank Dormer’s rollicking whodunit has bumbling characters worthy of The Three Stooges, sly humor straight out of Monty Python, and an irresistible screwball spirit all its own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481431682
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Frank W. Dormer is the author-illustrator of The Sword in the Stove, Firefighter Duckies!, Socksquatch, and The Obstinate Pen. He is also the illustrator of many other books for children, including the Aggie and Ben series for early readers and the middle grade series The Adventures of Jo Schmo. Visit Frank online at FrankWDormer.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/22/2016
Besides a couple of knights and a reference to The Sword in the Stone that adult readers will need to explain to the intended audience, this absurd dialogue bears no resemblance to Arthurian legend. Readers first see a knight running and chanting, “Gotta go, gotta go.” Another knight follows, and questions a chef as to his friend Harold’s whereabouts. “He had to go potty,” explains the chef. While they wait, the chef and knight find a sword, shield, and helmet in the oven (the knight punctuates each odd discovery with silly exclamations like “Holy haddock!” and “Wobbling wizards!”), leading them to wonder, “Who would put Harold in the stove?” Enter a dragon, who roasts and eats the lot of them. Dormer (The Obstinate Pen) loosely assembles the characters from geometric watercolor shapes: a rectangular torso, an oval head, stick-figure arms and legs. There’s a certain fun in the characters’ wholesale inanity, but this lightweight tale amounts to a skit for only the most avid, and forgiving, fans of knightly adventure. Ages 4–8. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Dormer’s loose, deceptively simple watercolor figures, composed of blocky shapes and hilarious, over-the-top facial expressions, are a great match for the absurd, slapstick comedy...the comedic timing makes this a tasty treat for kids who love screwy fun."

May 2016 Booklist

02/01/2016
K-Gr 2—As Eenie and Meenie start cooking, they are shocked to find their missing friend Harold's sword and shield in their stove. Eenie comically cooks up ridiculous stories about why a shield could possibly be in their stove, while frantic Meenie continues to pull out additional items from their oven. The final punch line, which solves the mystery and ends the book, seems to come out of left field, which will leave some scratching their heads and others doubled over in laughter. The two cooks play off each other well, with grumpy Meenie trying to explain the situation to scatterbrained Eenie, making it an easy transition for a storytime. However, the joke is a bit one-note and hurried. Dormer's illustrations, often more conventional in other books, here take a simplistic, Oliver Jeffers-like approach. His choice to use a basic color palette against a mostly plain white background keeps the focus on the characters's dramatic facial expressions and size differences, which adds to the humor of the piece. VERDICT A hilarious addition to any picture book collection.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

★ 2016-03-16
Two chefs solve one big mystery (albeit too late!) in this humorous spoof on the knight-and-dragon tale. It's mealtime, but where is Harold? Two cooks wonder about their knightly friend—but readers are in the know. He was last seen racing across the title page, searching for the loo. So onward the pair go until: "Holy haddock!" There's a sword in the stove. Who could've put it there? Pirates? The absurdity builds (and so do the laughs) as the oven yields additional items. The pumpkin-headed chefs, like a classic comedy duo, play off each other, channeling Laurel and Hardy in both physique and demeanor; the author juxtaposes their differences to maximum effect. When the two agree the sword is Harold's and his fate a dire one, a fiery whoosh interrupts the question of who would do such a thing. A hungry (and adorable-looking) dragon ready for dessert, that's who! Young readers need not fear, as the last page reveals the chefs and Harold still alive, with a giggle-inducing punch line. Dormer's illustrations fuel the text with their spontaneity and engaging compositions. His primitive watercolor shapes, expressive pencil marks, and clever use of a limited, warm palette reveal a sophisticated control of the medium. Through both text and art, he offers something for everyone (pirates! Vikings! inventive expletives! silliness!). Brilliantly designed down to a typeface that alludes to the story's legendary associations, this book establishes itself as thoroughly modern. A joyful, silly tale for the adventurer, boy or girl, young or old: medieval mayhem at its best. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews