Strange Title, Unusual Book: Crabtree by Jon & Tucker Nichols

Hi there!

Welcome back to the place that knows how to turn a frown upside down almost any day of the week….Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we’re going on an expedition…through the pages of a storybook!  Curious?  As you should be…and that also describes the book to a “T” to the uninitiated.  Don’t worry friends, you won’t be in that camp for long…we’ll expedite your move over to the “in-the-know” cabin just after this post.  Deal?  Good.  Now, let’s get cracking on today’s book of choice….

Crabtree

By

Jon & Tucker Nichols

9781936365821

McSweeney’s McMullens

About the book…

Alfred Crabtree has lost his false teeth.  But don’t worry, he’ll find them if he can just get organized!  Join Alfred on a romp through his far too many belongings and you’ll end up learning more about him then he knows about himself.

Short and sweet…unlike Alfred’s collection of odds, ends, and everything in between.

At once both a cautionary tale to older readers in regards to hoarding and an unusual search and find for all ages, the fun begins before we even open the book.  Yep.  You read that right, BEFORE you open the book.  How so?  Well, aside from the busy cover we first see, the removable jacket of the book unfolds into a two sided poster guaranteed to jump start you imagination.  I STILL haven’t figured out quite what that inside thing-a-ma-jig is either…but it’s fun to ponder and suppose.  As for the story…

Alfred is quite a collector of, well things…and unfortunately that assortment of all that has either captured his eye or missed the can on the way by is about as organized as an assorted bag of jelly beans; given the choice though, trust me…you’d much rather sort the beans.  *-*  But I digress…page after page, readers have the opportunity to help Alfred search for his missing chompers while he gains a few tips on sorting through it all from his family relations.  From like items to colors, things with that start with the same letter to items in the same condition, he tries and tries until he finds a system that vaguely works for him (we’ll see I suppose in the long run) and what’s this?  Perhaps his missing teeth?  Perhaps…you’ll have to help him sort things out first and then, well…you never know what treasures you’ll uncover.

In the end, it’s an interesting read for the whole family with a message and fun for everyone.  Along with the illustrations that litter the pages, there are also interesting facts and tidbits about Alfred lending another challenge to the story beyond simply finding his teeth…to see how well you know him by book’s end! 

Review copy received courtesy of McSweeney’s McMullens.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their growing catalog, be sure to stop by their official site.

Until next time…happy reading!