The Toy Brother

by William Steig

Overview

"Good pictures come along fairly often, but an original, remarkable book that takes you by surprise is rare. Rejoice over William Steig's latest, in which he spoofs medieval life and takes a crack at bullying older brothers and alchemy as he tells his rattling good story. 
— The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A riveting tale of sibling rivalry set in medieval times, which is, at the same time, as modern as all get-out." 
— Newsday

"Readers will delight in Steig's droll expressions, both visual and verbal, but the subtle lesson about brotherly love will not be lost amid teh comic goings-on."
— School Library Journal

Author Biography: William Steig's drawings have appeared regularly in The New Yorker since 1930. He also writes and illustrates books for children, most recently Pete's A Pizza, Zeke Pippin and Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa. His other books include Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, winner of the Caldecott Medal; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jeanne.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466895553
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	57 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. In 1930, Steig's work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3-Magnus and Eutilda Bede and their two children are an everyday, run-of-the-mill medieval family. Mr. Bede is an alchemist and Yorick, his older son, aspires to follow in his footsteps. When he isn't being pestered by Charles, Yorick dreams of turning donkey dung into gold and working other marvelous transformations. While Mr. and Mrs. Bede journey to a faraway wedding, the boy takes advantage of the opportunity to try out a magic formula. His potion does not have quite the effect he expects, however, and he ends up the size of a sausage. Charles is delighted. He makes his brother a little house, feeds him crumbs of bread and clabber cheese, and wishes he would fit in his pocket forever. The older boy is anxious to return to his normal size, but only does so when he finally remembers a missing ingredient in the magic potion. After all their trials, the two siblings view one another with a new affection. Steig's amusing drawings and bright watercolor washes are rich in detail and his cartoon style is further enlivened by bright purple borders on each page. Readers will delight in Steig's droll expressions, both visual and verbal, but the subtle lesson about brotherly love will not be lost amid the comic goings-on.Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY

School Library Journal

The prolific Steig keeps the Dark Ages light with his penchant for non sequiturs and colorful if challenging words (such as "alackaday" and "transmogrification"). Watercolors of chunky wooden furniture, heavy eating utensils and knee-length tunics set the tone for this costume comedy.” —Publishers Weekly

“Steig's amusing drawings and bright watercolor washes are rich in detail and his cartoon style is further enlivened by bright purple borders on each page. Readers will delight in Steig's droll expressions, both visual and verbal, but the subtle lesson about brotherly love will not be lost amid the comic goings-on.” —School Library Journal

“Steig embellishes his always rich vocabulary with medieval words to delightful effect and decorates his artwork with rich hues and purple borders.” —Booklist

“... another satisfying tale that is also a gentle vehicle for helping children to understand a range of sometimes subtle psychological and ethical issues.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Sure to be adored by all younger siblings.” —Parent's Choice

“Not at all didactic, this is a clever, amusing story.” —Children's Literature

From the Publisher