Peter Newell (1) (1862–1924)

I learned of this book in a course I'm taking on the history of books. This book tells the story of a boy playing with a gun that he doesn't know is loaded, and when it goes off, it leaves a hole clean through the book. The holes in the pages are incorporated into the artwork and help tell the story. It's a very cute idea, and even though I read a digitized version online (and there are no bullet-holes in my computer screen, thank goodness) I still "got" the humor of the interactive novelty show more pages. I was a bit caught off guard by the manner in which it depicted a racial minority, which sadly marks this book as a product of its time, even as the format itself was so revolutionary. Also, cat-lovers beware! This is a comedy about a bullet that wreaks havoc in humorous, nonfatal ways, and halfway through, a cat gets shot. show less

Oh my, what a fun book to read The rhymes were charming. We see the consequences of on bad act and how they are perceived. The janitor's son finds a rocket in the basement and lights it. The rocket takes off and goes through each of the floors above it. On each floor we have a different incident taking place that is destroyed by the rocket coming through. The people in the apartments seem to be oblivious to what truly happened until it reaches the top floor. I loved the way each floor had a show more two stanza rhyming poem to explain what happened. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. This is one of those charming books to be enjoyed by young and old alike. The pictures definitely have an old time feel. If I were to meet the author I would have to say, "More Please."
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own. show less

"The Slant Book" is a book from 1910 (the version I read was a modern reprint) by Peter Newell. The book follows a runaway baby cart that is speeding down a hill through a town. The baby inside the cart is having the time of his life, but the cart keeps crashing into people and things, ruining everyone else's day. On the very last page, the cart crashes into a tree stump and sends the baby flying into a pile of hay. The book is written in prose, and has a very witty style. The illustrations show more are what make the book for me, since every page has very detailed, humorous art on it. The illustrations pair really well with the witty text. The book is also shaped like a rhombus, which is pretty unique, though it does make it awkward to store on a bookshelf with other books. I think kids, as well as adults, would enjoy this silly book. show less

A naughty boy sets off a rocket in the basement of an apartment building. The book follows the rocket as it shoots up through all the apartments above, describing the trail of destruction in verse and illustrations. Fun.