Grade 1–3—A promising start becomes bogged down in stereotypes in this tall tale of simpletons from down South. Known as the "dumbest boys in Texas," the Bunion Brothers find work with Granny Gert-a cantankerous, diminutive woman who has a "Mad Dog" and a gorgeous granddaughter, Starla Scissors. Buck and Buddy are immediately smitten and can barely keep their minds on their chores. Soon they are snarling and fighting with one another for Starla's attention, with Granny whacking and threatening the men with "Mad Dog" to keep them away from her. When Starla's equally attractive twin appears, the brothers settle in for courting the willing young women. The art, featuring a droopy-chested Granny and a bodacious babe of a granddaughter (complete with slightly suggestive poses), misses the sensibilities of its young audience. The ending, revealing "Mad Dog" as a piglet, seems tacked on. Phyllis Root's
Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones (Candlewick, 1998) and Ellen Jackson's
Scatterbrain Sam (Charlesbridge, 2001) mine some of the same territory much more successfully.—
Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
This is one of the funniest and yet creative picture books I've read in a long time. Parents will enjoy reading the story about how the Bunion Brothers fall in love with Starla, the granddaughter of their new employer. The brothers shirk their duties to fight over Starla's hand and when Granny Gert finds them . . . she threatens to sick Mad Dog on the brothers.
The illustrations are lively and colorful. Children will smile and laugh at all the antics the Bunion Brothers pull to catch Starla's eye. And there is a twist ending to this gem of a picture book.
