The Wizard of Wallaby Wallow
Jack Kent ~ Parent's Magazine Press, 1971
My husband told me last night that if never hears the name Jack Kent again, he'll be happy. That said, I'm not finished yet! I couldn't possibly cover all the Jack Kent books I have (or could I?), but I'm gonna get to our faves this week for sure. Jack returned to the theme of magic potions often in his life, always to the conclusion that as much as it would be nice to drink something and transform your life... there is no magic potion to solve your problems. A nice moral for children (and adults!) to embrace. Here we find a frustrated wizard attempting to get his stock pile of potions in order. When a wee mouse knocks on his door complaining...
"I'm tired of being a mouse. Nobody likes mice. They set traps for us and sic cats on us and yell shoo at us and chase us with brooms. It's not a very pleasant life. I want to be something else."
... the wizard gives him a bottle with a missing label. Unsure of what the potion might be, the mouse contemplates what it will turn him into... a butterfly... a turtle... a bumble bee... an ant... concluding, in the end, that it's good to be exactly what he is. The wizard declares the potion a success for changing the mouse (even if only on the inside), and begins to shill his potions label-free with the disclaimer that his magic spells ... "never failed to work-- as long as the bottles weren't uncorked." Excellent!
Also by:Jack Kent's Twelve Days of Christmas
I Was Walking Down the Road
The Grown-Up Day
The Fox and the Crow
The Biggest Shadow in the Zoo
Just Only John
Jack Kent's Book of Nursery Tales
The Animobile Book
Dooly and the Snortsnoot
Mr. Meebles
Clotilda
Cindy Lou and the Witch's Dog
The Blah
Jack Kent's Valentine Sticker Book
Round Robin
4 comments:
There's a Weston Woods of this one, too.
Having sooo much fun reading your Jack Kent week. Definitely need to get on Ebay or start searching around for more (than the one I bought from you!) for our library.
aw, how cute. definitely a good message for everyone. I love the illustrations. Never heard of this book.
-Lauren
I don't know if you entered the Holey Donuts giveaway or not, but if you could check out this post and do so for my blog, it would mean a TON for my family and you can enter for the book afterwards too if you wish (White Cat by Holly Black ARC)!:
http://shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com/2010/02/giveaway-white-cat-arc-250-holey-donuts.html
Thank you for sharing this!!! I was searching for this book, but without remembering the name! I loved this book as a kid! I just ordered this for my own kids!
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