The Chunkies at the Seaside

The Chunkies at the Seaside

published by The McLoughlin Brothers

The Chunky Family (Madeleine thought they looked like the precursor to The Tub People) are ready for a holiday.  They decide to travel to Shrimpville-By-the-Sea and a series of misadventures befall them.  This is fun to read because of the outdated language:

They arranged themselves on the two most comfortable chairs they could find in the hotel lobby, and tried to see who could eat how many buns fastest.  This is a perfectly corking game, provided one has buns enough and a large mouth.  The Chunkies had very small mouths, but this did not discourage them.

Our copy of this book has a inscription of February 25, 1936.  I had never heard of the Chunky Family before but I believe it was a series of books.

This part cracked me up... after all the excitement from the day before, Mr. and Mrs. Chunky tell their boys that they are all staying in and having a quiet day at home.

A deep, dark, depressing gloom then settled down over the three boys, until their mother went out and got them some picture books and some gum drops.  They then just managed to live through the day.

And later...

However, he and Mrs. Chunky were very tired.  There's nothing like a quiet day with three boys in seaside lodgings for making one feel a perfect rag.

My Uncle Podger

 

My Uncle Podger

illustrated by Wallace Trip 1975 

 One night Charlotte and I read this in bed, Chris was listening too.  We all were laughing so hard the bed was shaking.  I could barely get through reading it!  Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 story is funny enough, but Tripp's illustrations of the pompous bumbling Uncle Podger (in bunny form) take the hilarity to a new level!  Even just mentioning the story to each other gets us giggling again.  

 

Buttons

Buttons

Brock Cole 2000

Madeleine and I ADORE this book.  Set in the Regency time period, the patriarch of a family has burst the buttons off his pants and calamity ensues.  Each of his three daughters selflessly hatch a plan to get more buttons for their father (who can't leave his bed for shame!).  The oldest daughter, a beauty, plans to parade around and attract a handsome wealthy husband (who will supply buttons), the middle daughter will disguise herself as a young man and join the army where she will have plenty of buttons on her uniform.  And the silly youngest daughter decides to run through the fields every day hoping to catch buttons that fall from the sky.  None of the sisters' plans go accordingly, but even better things happen and in the end, thanks to a lovestruck cowherd, buttons are finally to be had!

The pictures are fun with costumes that suit the time period, and the story had us laughing out loud.   What a rare treat to find a story that is silly, sweet and charming with three capable heroines and romance all around.

The Day the Crayons Quit

Silly/funny books are always a big hit in my house (especially with Charlotte and Henry).  This one cracks us up.  All the crayons in the crayon box have written letters to Duncan, voicing their discontent.  Blue and Grey crayon are tired of coloring so much, Pink would like to be used more often for things like dinosaurs and cowboys, and Yellow and Orange are fighting over who should color the sun.  The funniest letter is from Peach crayon who has had his wrapper stripped off and doesn't appreciate being naked in the crayon box!  Oliver Jeffers' illustrations once again combine drawing and real life objects in a neat way.

 The Day the Crayons Quit

Drew Daywalt

illustrated by Oliver Jeffers 2013

Other books illustrated by Oliver Jeffers:

The Incredible Book Eating Boy