Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo - Hardcover

Morrow, Barbara Olenyik

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823420728 ISBN 13: 9780823420728

Publisher: Holiday House, 2009

Synopsis

Mr. Mosquito saves the insect ball from an intruding bear. Illustrations reveal a surprise ending.

About this title

About the Author:

Barbara Olenyik Morrow is a Journalist and author. Reporter for Herald-Telephone, Bloomington, IN, and Louisville Times, KY; Journal-Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN, editorial writer; freelance writer. Honors Awards Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing, 1986; honorable mention for children's literature, Best Books of Indiana award, 2005. Writings Those Cars of Auburn, privately published, 1987.

Ponder Goembel has illustrated a number of children's books. Of her illustrations for Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo, School Library Journal said, "Using lush colors...and excellent attention to detail, Goembel brings this idiosyncratic tale to life." She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Dapper Mr. Mosquito dons his tuxedo and heads to the insect-only royal ball. There he meets the Queen Bee, dances with a wasp, declines the offer of a comb by a group of lice, chats with some bedbugs, and, at the bar, has some punch and "chilled blood over ice." Suddenly the good time is interrupted by fearsome footsteps that turn out to belong to a bear. Mr. Mosquito saves the day by calling up mosquitoes from far and near, and they use their skill to swarm and chase the intruder away. As the ball's hero, Mr. Mosquito is dubbed the Royal Pest by the Queen. The abundant and rhyming text is only half of this story; the illustrations tell the rest. Using lush colors befitting a royal ball and excellent attention to detail, Goembel brings this idiosyncratic tale to life. The realistic insects wear top hats and elaborate gowns with full accessories, effectively making them less creepy and more anthropomorphic. The final spread is an extremely wide shot that reveals the ball's location to be at the tent of two sleeping boys. This surprise alters one's perceptions of the danger from the bear and of the ball itself. A quirky story that could easily entertain and/or creep out readers.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
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About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0823420728
• ISBN 13: 9780823420728
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Goembel Ponder