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Adventures
in Children's Literature and
Learning
Beloved
children's characters come to life
through a puzzle in paintings.
The eccentric traveler and world-renowned painter,
Dr. David Harleyson,
has disappeared, and it is up to his young nephew to find him! By unraveling
the clues on the backs of Dr. David's most recent paintings, his nephew
is able to piece together his uncle's incredible around-the-world journey.
What do the most popular creatures from Mother Goose, Grimm, and Aesop—immortalized
in Dr. David's breathtakingly lifelike portraits—have to do with his year-long
adventure? Where has Dr. David been, and what will become of him? The
mystery awaits, and only by following the clues can you discover the tale behind
the mysterious collection of Dr. David Harleyson!
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
has awarded the Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson the 2004 Golden Kite Award for Best Illustrated Picture Book of the year!
Visit their website to learn more about SCBWI and past recipients of this
major children's book award -- www.SCBWI.com

John
D. investigating Portrait
of Miss Lill Pigg Clues on the back of
Miss Lill Pigg's portrait
Mother
Goose
Paintings in his studio Owl & Pussycat
Reviews
of The Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson
"In this
volume sure to captivate storybook lovers, a collection of nursery characters'
portraits provides clues to a puzzle. David Harleyson, a world-traveling
pig who paints, has left home without explanation
other than instructions to his brother and young nephew: 'Inside my studio,
find the twelve portraits I painted this last year . . . When you put
all twelve in the correct order, you'll know . . . where to find me.'
Readers must look at each painting, then turn the page to see what ephemera
David has tucked into the frame. Behind a portrait of 'M. Goose,' shown
scribbling with a quill pen, is her letter to David and an invitation
to see a play by Sir Wolfe (who is the subject of the next portrait, clad
in a gray suit and wooly white cape (souvenirs include a flyer for A
Walk in the Woods , a newspaper clipping, and a train ticket). The
evidence reveals David's itinerary and friendships. He paints Itsy Bitsy
Spider in Bremen
('Every day
it has rained!') and meets the Owl and the Pussycat in Amsterdam
('You gave
me your nose ring for my wedding day,' Owl reminds him). Along the way,
David falls for an opera star, Miss Lill Pigg, and coy allusions to the
porcine diva imply his recent whereabouts. Readers will appreciate the
keen visual detail of Cassel
's upper-crusty
gouaches, the wry inside jokes and the thoughtfulness of the familiar
menagerie, as when Baa Baa (a black sheep) knits David a sweater and the
Grasshopper fiddles at the climactic event." — Publishers
Weekly (starred review)
"Dr. David Harleyson, a nineteenth-century portraitist of some prestige
(and, for the record, a pig), is traveling abroad and requires a favor:
Will his nephew collect 10 recently completed paintings and ship them
to their respective subjects? Unfortunately the paintings, each a full-page,
framed gouache portrait of an animal in resplendent Victorian attire,
are unlabeled. Turning the page, however, reveals a hodgepodge of trompe
l'oeil mementos, appearing as if they've been affixed to each portrait's
reverse side. By piecing together clues provided in the snippets (a gossip-column
clipping about a prince appalling dinner-party guests by eating a fly;
a note from a portrait-sitter named Baa Baa that mentions her habit of
giving away wool), children will quickly discover that each subject hails
from a familiar story, nursery rhyme, or fable. . . . Kids will enjoy
poring over the artfully cluttered pages, and will welcome the opportunity
to showcase their storybook expertise." — Booklist
"A young pig receives a letter from his artist uncle asking him and
his father to peruse some portraits, identify the subjects, and—based
on clues stuck to the back of them (travel tickets, playbills, etc.)—put
them in order to reconstruct the artist's yearlong travels and current
plans. . . . Readers get to identify the portraits with wonderfully sophisticated
clues and details for the fairytale and fable characters that guarantee
participation and satisfaction." — Kirkus Reviews
"In this intricate, picture-book mystery, Dr. David Harleyson (a
pig), an eccentric, world-renowned portrait painter, writes to his brother
and nephew inviting them to come with him on a great adventure. But first
they must put 12 portraits he recently completed in order. Richly tones
gouache paintings feature a formal portrait on one page, and, on the verso,
faux letters, notes, train tickets, playbills, etc., that serve to expand
the story and give clues to the sequence of the next picture. Beginning
with a likeness of M. Goose in Paris
, this is
a whirlwind tour of European fairy-tale notables, including the Frog Prince
in Copenhagen
, the three
Gruff brothers in Oslo
, and Baa
Baa Black Sheep in Wales
. The final
portrait leads the nephew and brother back to their famous uncle and a
satisfyingly romantic conclusion. The formal tone of the correspondence
and clues harkens back to the ambiance of a grand continental tour by
ship and rail, but this sophisticated treatment may be lost on a young
audience. . . . Alert listeners will recognize phrases from well-known
rhymes and stories in the clues: every time Dr. Harleyson tries to paint
Miss Spider's portrait, 'the rain comes down and washes the portrait out.'
Young sleuths who are fans of Jane Yolen's Piggins (Harcourt,
1987) may enjoy moving up to this more challenging mystery." — School
Library Journal
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