Tobi Tobias

Another dollar-cart title I picked up, like Joanna Runs Away, because it was illustrated by the incomparable Trina Schart Hyman, Tobi Tobias' The Quitting Deal was originally published in 1975, is long out-of-print, and - judging by the dearth of online reviews - has largely been forgotten. I can understand why that is, as it definitely has a rather dated feel to it, but I also found it oddly charming. It's the sort of "social realism" picture-book that I particularly associate with the show more 1970s and early 1980s, and although I think contemporary parents might look askance at certain scenes, it still has something to tell us.

The story of Jenny, a young girl who compulsively sucks her thumb (even though the dentist says she needs to stop), and the deal she makes with her mother - if Jenny stops sucking, Mommy will stop smoking - it offers a very realistic portrait of how persistent our bad habits can be. As the mother-daughter pair try to conquer their addictions, using everything from "the Talking Cure" to "the Candy Cure," they discover that change can take a long time. With smoking - particularly around young children - having become so much less acceptable in the last thirty-five years, I think some readers today might be taken aback by the scene in which Jenny's mother drops her cigarette ash on her infant son's head (OK, I kind-of chuckled when I read that). But although one gets the sense that smoking was generally less of a "big deal" when this was written, it is still presented as a negative (hence the quitting).

Of course, since I picked this up for the artwork, the narrative interest was secondary for me. Often associated today with her fairy-tale adaptations, Trina Schart Hyman has worked on a broad range of books throughout her career, and I sometimes think that her more realistic titles get short shrift. The illustrations here - they look like pencil drawings, with red embellishment - have great appeal, with Hyman's usual expressive faces, and her appealing creatures. The family cats, who appear in many of the scenes, are particularly well done, something that will come as no surprise to the artists' fans. All in all, this was a pleasant little interlude in picture-book history, one I would recommend to those researching the genre, or to those who simply love Trina Schart Hyman. show less

The drawings are lovely and accompany text regarding a little boy and his mother as they walk to school early in the day.

He is a keen observer and wants to stop and look at the birds who shake their heads and drink water from a puddle; he likes to watch the older women sitting on a bench and observe their body language; he loves to see the cat who is fat and wears a jeweled collar, and he reads the boxes of cereal stacked in the store window.

He intently watches the street cleaner and the show more water that skirts in the gutters.

While paying attention to his environment he is consistently told by his mother they will be late and not to dawdle.

This is a lovely book, and I like the simplicity and the young boy and his ability to stop and ponder and watch the small things that fill his surroundings. show less

The little girl in the book is scared about moving but not admitting it, but instead saying that her bear is scared. She is packing, making sure she stays organized while not losing her bear. She is being very responsible by throwing things she doesn't need away and organizing everything in correct boxes. She gets a little nervous when she thinks she has lost bear, but she is relieved when she has found him. The ride to the new house feels like it takes forever because the little girl is so show more excited. Despite all the differences the little girl feels she still gets comfortable in her new house with her bear. After all, she is happy she moved and already working on making new friends. show less

A little girl and her bear had to move away. Her bear was scared but she knew everything was going to be okay at her new house. Her parents packed up their valuables and headed to their new home. Bear did not want to say goodbye but he knew that he had too. Some children have to deal with moving a lot and it makes them make new friends, new hobbies, and meet new people. Moving away is sometimes hard for the kids because they are leaving what they have always known.