Review: Munschworks 4

The following review was contributed by: Lily Azerad-Goldman: CLICK TO VIEW Lily Azerad-Goldman's Reviews

Best-selling Children's author Robert Munsch has over 35 titles in print. Since his first two books, Mud Puddle and The Dark were published in 1979, he has sold over 31 million books in over ten languages.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Munsch studied for seven years to be a Jesuit priest before deciding that he preferred working with children. For five years, he taught in a variety of nursery schools and daycare centres, while studing for an M.A. in early childhood education. In 1975 Munsch and his wife Ann, moved to Canada.

Quite amazingly Munsch receives fan mail from thousands of youngsters, whom, incidentally, he enjoys personally meeting, however that's a story for another day.

Munch is known for his quirky sense of humour and understanding of children’s problems. Love You Forever, his best-selling book, published in 1986 (Firefly Books), sold over 16 million copies. In fact, it has been very well received in “retirement communities, where kids are” illegal.” Apparently, “grown ups are buying it for grown ups, parents buy it for grandparents, grandparents buy it for parents, and kids buy it for everybody buys it for kids.” What a phenomena!

Munschworks 4 comprises 5 more stories by North America’s best-loved storyteller:

50 Below Zero, The Boy in the Drawer, Moira’s Birthday, From Far Away and Millicent and the Wind.

50 Below Zero, illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Munsch’s books have held a very special place in my heart ever since I discovered him. It is with great pleasure that I revisited Munsch’s world in Munschworks 4.

Sure to evoke giggles and laughs, 50 Below Zero, Munsch’s hero, Jason relishes in repeating my 2 year old grandson’s favourite words: “What’s that, What’s that, What’s that”?.

The main character, Jason the brave, comes to the rescue of his sleepwalking father, when he meanders all over the house and winds up outdoors in 50 below zero weather.

Effectively capturing and complimenting the theme of the story is Michael Martchenko's bright, energetic pen and watercolor images. What particularly attracted my attention was the contrasts between night and day and cold and warm. The pictures will conquer your charges, even if you don’t have Munsch’s gift for storytelling.

Not only is “50 Below Zero” zany, it will surely reinforce the bond between fathers, sons and daughters it will prove to be a sought after addition to daily story time.

The Boy in the Drawer, illustrated by Michael Martchenko.

What better way to learn how to clean up then with the amusing character of Shelley. She cleans up and doesn’t even know she is being tidy! Munsch unleashes a sunny and wet narrative until Shelley masters tidiness. Simple plot, subtle message and clever humor coupled with strong characters make this story a delightful experience to share with your loved ones.

Michael Marchenko captures the expressions of surprise and bewilderment of all the characters. Words that leap to mind are rollicking, roustabout or rambunctious. Characters are depicted with flesh and bones. Paintings bustle with activity that contain multiple hilarious characters, which interact , suggesting the network of relationships – the family – that lies at the center of that story. This tale will hold the children’s interest till the last sentence with its wacky circumstances.

Moira’s Birthday by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchentko.

Moira’s birthday gives a new dimension on whom to invite to her birthday party. Will it be grades 1,2,3,4,5,6 and kindergarden or six friends, as permitted by her parents? Judge for yourself, while bursting with laughter at the surprises Munsch loves to spring on his readers, big and small.

Michael Martchenko’s illustrations are boisterous, funny and colourful. Using caricature-like characters, they are full of movement and happiness. You can see the bedlam and almost hear the loud noises of the birthday party. Check out the hilarious illustration on page 67-the cook with the pizza stuck to his head! The daffy illustrations perfectly match the wild atmosphere of a child’s birthday party. A favourite sure to please every age.

From Far Away by Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar, illustrated by Michael Martchenko.

From Far Away tells the story of Saoussan Askar, a seven year old in grade two coming from far away. Munsch is politically correct to omit which war torn country Saoussan comes from. Permitting Saoussan to write her own story in journal form, we follow her from her war torn country to the freedom of Canada. Here she is bewildered by a new language and new friends.

Munsch radically changes his tonality, as he is very serious, without totally getting away from his usual humour, leaving the reader somewhat grinning. This one is an invitation for tolerance and a desire to end all wars. Saoussan slowly gets used to Canadian customs, specially the one of Halloween, which at first proves to be quite frightening. With the help of her parents, teachers and classmates, she slowly adapts to Canadian life, teachers and classmates. She even wants to change her name from Saoussan to Susan but her mother won’t let her, as she is informed that she must keep her traditions.

Michael Martchenko’s illustrations are much more subdued then in Munsch’s other stories. They effectively fit the seriousness of the subject with wonderful soft watercolors. His characters at first fill the pages with sadness, however, as the story progresses, they portray faces with joyful expressions. A definite plus for our dreams of tolerance and friendship.

In this one, Munsch returns to his playful self. It’s the tale of Millicent living on a mountain top with no friends except the wind. Mister Wind feels her loneliness and on one of its gusts brings her a special friend.

Unlike the team of Munsch and Marchenko, Duranceau's illustrations take off on a different direction and style. She creates movement and lifelike characters, less cartoony then Martchenko’s. Her rendering of the wind is very effective with the different white stroke directions. Millicent is portrayed as a very pretty little girl in a Pollyanna style. Duranceau’s landscapes and depiction of the sky and clouds are luminous and dreamy. The anagrams at the beginning of each written page are very elegant.

Milllicent and theWind is a story of friendship which will certainly be appreciated by both boys and girls, parents and grand-parents.