Margery Cuyler

Author Margery Cuyler and illustrator Marsha Winborn, who also collaborated on Sir William and the Pumpkin Monster, turn to Valentine's Day in this engaging picture-book from the 1980s. Freckles and Willie were inseparable companions, until Jane moved in next door. Soon Willie was ignoring his loyal canine friend, because Jane didn't care for dogs. But when he made a special Valentine for Jane, and her reaction was one of contemptuous dismissal, Willies realized just who his real friend show more was...

Having enjoyed Sir William and the Pumpkin Monster a few years ago, I was pleased to discover Freckles and Willie, which pairs Cuyler's engaging story with Winborn's charming, expressive illustrations. I thought Winburn really captured Freckles' winsome character in her artwork, chronicling his changing emotional state as Willie begins to shut him out. Young dog lovers will undoubtedly find this portion of the story upsetting, but fortunately there is a happy ending, as Willie works to win back Freckles' affection. For my own part, while I understood the necessity of keeping Freckles away from Jane, due to her allergies, it wasn't really clear to me why Willie needed to stop playing with him, even when Jane wasn't around. Leaving that aside, this was a fun Valentine's Day story, one which focuses on the friendship offered by our animal companions, rather than on having a human Valentine. show less

I love any books about skeletons, ghosts, etc. This one did not disappoint! Our poor skeleton has the hiccups and tries everything to get rid of them, but nothing works. What will his ghost friend do to help him? Cute story and wonderful graphics.

Little Nell lives with her big mother and big sisters in a big house with big blustery voices and big parties. Little Nell is constantly offering her help, but her big family members say that she is just too small. So, Nell would go outside into the big snowy woods and play with her reindeer, hare, and bear cub friends. One day, bear asked for her to teach them how to build a snowman, but she felt that she was just too small. All of her friends helped her roll huge balls of snow to create show more the snowman, and crow, cardinal, and sparrow came to make a face for the snowman. When it was lunchtime, she returned to her house, where her family members asked where she had been. She told them that she had made the biggest, best snowman, and they had to see it to believe it because she was just so small. Her mother is so impressed with her creation that she asks if Nell wants to come and make a big yummy lunch, but her sisters say that she is still too small. However, her mother says she is plenty big enough after seeing this huge snowman and she finally felt big enough to the world. The Biggest, Best Snowman was a book given to me from my first grade teacher for logging that I had read 425 books at home. There is still a sweet note in there that makes this book extra special to me. I would love to give that same joy to my students one day and hopefully make them smile even 15 years later. The story itself is one that is incredibly sweet and relatable to young students as they may feel that they are too small to be capable of great things. Scholastic Book Wizard has identified this as a Pre K-1 level story, and at this point, students are still feeling that they are tiny compared to the world around them. If they read a book like this, they will feel empowered and understand that no matter their size, they are capable of creating amazing things and being amazing people. They will feel that they are enough and will take this confidence with them to whatever the day brings. I have always hated when teachers or parents put children down as "I'm big, you're small; I'm right, you're wrong; and there is nothing you can do about it" just like Harry Wormwood says to Matilda. It is disheartening to know that there are children that feel they are incapable of greatness, so I would hope this book gives them the confidence they need. This book is a 5/5 to me as it shows someone small feeling victorious over the world around them. Beautiful. show less

Margery Cuyler's picturebook series, That's Good, That's Bad, lives up to its title. The first, That's Good, That's Bad, illustrated by David Catrow, is a wacky adventure that will have kids waiting breathlessly for the next disaster or triumph.

That's good.

Her second, also illustrated by David Catrow, That's Good, That's Bad in the Grand Canyon, is an equally excellent insanity, as the little boy's vacation in the Grand Canyon takes some strange turns.

That's good.
No, that's bad!

Because for show more some reason, the success of her second book apparently inspired her to write a third...and That's Good, That's Bad in Washington D. C. is not good - at all. Firstly, David Catrow's wacky illustrations are replaced by Michael Garland's flat and impersonal digital art, which is not at all inspiring. Secondly, Cuyler seems to have lost the thread of her transitions and events flip from good to bad without the logical progression of her earlier books.

That's bad.

Still, two out of three, is not a bad ratio, and those two are indeed enjoyable.

That's good.

Verdict: I highly recommend the titles illustrated by David Catrow, but give the third a miss.

That's Good That's Bad
ISBN: 978-0805015355; Published August 1991 by Henry Holt (there is a later edition still in print); Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

That's Good That's Bad in the Grand Canyon
ISBN: 978-0805059755; Published April 2002 by Henry Holt (sadly out of print); Borrowed from the library

That's Good That's Bad in Washington D.C.
ISBN: 978-0805077278; Published June 2007 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library show less