Linda Smith (1) (1961–2000)

"On a knotty little hill, / In a dreary little funk, / Mrs. Biddlebox rolled over / On the wrong side of her bunk." So begins this rollicking rhyme of a picture-book, as the eponymous Mrs. Biddlebox finds that everything about the day either gives her a headache or makes her grumpy. Finally, having had enough, she uses her magical broom to sweep up the dreary, gray day, baking it (together with some sunshine) into something altogether better. Delightedly feasting on her cake, Mrs. Biddlebox show more confronts the beauties of the night, before heading to bed...

Having enjoyed author Linda's Smith's Mrs. Crump's Cat, as well as numerous titles from illustrator Marla Frazee, from her own The Farmer and the Clown to Liz Garton Scanlon's All the World, for which Frazee was awarded a Caldecott Honor, I was sure that I would enjoy Mrs. Biddlebox, particularly as I have a weakness for witchy picture-books. I was not wrong, and although I had to wait quite a while to read it - the very kind children's librarian at my local branch personally brought a reference copy of the book from another branch, so that I could read it on the library premises - it was worth the wait! The story has a matter-of-factly magical quality that is quite appealing, and the text itself is a pleasure to read. The accompanying artwork is delightful - beautifully expressive, and perfectly suited to the enchanted nature of the tale. The final scenes, in which stars sparkle against a bluish/blackish night, were simply gorgeous! Although Mrs. Biddlebox is never named as a witch, her magical broom, and the fact that she is described at one point as taking "witchety" pleasure in her spell, make it clear that she is. Highly recommend, to all picture-book readers who enjoy magical tales, as well as to fellow fans of Frazee's lovely artwork. I was sad to read, on the rear dust-jacket blurb, that Smith died of breast cancer in 2000, having only penned five picture-books. What a terrible shame! show less

When a beautiful golden cat turns up on Mrs. Crump's porch one rainy day, the older woman wants nothing to do with it. Cats, of course, have their own ideas about these sorts of things, and soon the feline is ensconced before Mrs. Crump's fire, and turning up his nose at the slice of bread she offers him. Determined to put the cat out as soon as it is dry, Mrs. Crump instead finds herself buying some cream down at the local grocery story, giving the cat a bath when she discovers he has show more fleas, investing in a nice collar with a bell, and generally acting like any other person captivated by their feline. When wise Mr. Henry at the grocery store suggests that she put up signs to find the cat's former owner, but accept it as her own if no one responds, Mrs. Crump produces the perfect announcement - "Found. One sneak, finicky, troublesome, WET yellow cat with FLEAS" - and waits to see if anyone gets in touch.

A delightful tale of a somewhat curmudgeonly older woman who discovers the feline companionship she never knew she was missing, Mrs. Crump's Cat is the kind of animal story that I love! There's something about a homeless kitty finding a safe and loving home and family that just speaks to me, probably because I am such a cat-lover myself. Author Linda Smith, who (according to the biographical blurb on the rear dust-jacket flap) sadly died after writing this, really captures the appeal of our feline friends: their winning ways, and cunning tricks. Illustrator David Roberts does the same with his charming artwork, as both Mrs. Crump and her exquisite golden cat emerge as distinct and appealing characters in his quirky and expressive paintings. Highly recommended to all young cat lovers, and to those who read them stories! show less

While researching books by Marla Frazee (for my review of “All the World”), I was reacquainted with an old friend; Mrs. Biddlebox. Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith was one of the first book purchases I made as a new children’s librarian. The dark, yet vibrantly exciting cover caught my eye and I wanted to read for myself what this Mrs. Biddlebox was up to. Upon reading the book, I became instantly enthralled and shared the book with all I came in contact with. Then more books were show more published, and there were more storytimes to prepare for, so eventually, I lost contact with Mrs. Biddlebox. What a joy to find this grumpy woman again. Yes, she does wake up on the wrong side of the bed and just has a dreary awful day, but she doesn’t sit around stewing about it! She takes action! Mrs. Biddlebox grabs her brooms and attempts to gather up that bad day so that she can bake it into a cake and eat it! Sounds good to me. If it truly could be done, I’d be eating a lot of cake lately, but alas, it is nice to fantasize, and in the midst of that, gain a bit of hope that the bad days isn’t going to last forever. That’s what Mrs. Biddlebox does; she teaches you to take action, dump that gloomy day, eat it up and move on. You can’t help but smile yourself when you see her smiling face at the end of the book when she looks out into the beautiful night. Know someone who’s having a bad day? Introduce them to Mrs. Biddlebox. show less

Superb wordsmithery for kids - pungent, smart rhyming which snaps, crackles, pops, and crucially, scans. Great illustrations too. A gem.