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Summary
Summary
Meet the Tweedles: Papa, Mama, daughter Frances and her brother, Francis. It's the dawn of a new century--the twentieth century!--and the Tweedles have decided to buy a car. But no gas-guzzler for this modern family. Only an electric car will do for them. Frances is the only member of her eccentric family who is not delighted when Papa decides they need an electric car. She would rather read a book. Frances knows that cars go fast, which can only lead to trouble. She is even less impressed when the family takes possession of the car and faces ridicule from more conventional citizens with their noisy, dirty, gas-fueled machines. But when Mr. Hamm is unable to get to the hospital because his car has run out of gas, Frances saves the day--and falls in love with automobile travel at the same time. With humorous allusions to the twenty-first century--which is better? Gas or electric?-- The Tweedles Go Electric is a charming picture book about an odd and endearing family and their attempts to keep up with the times.
Author Notes
Monica Kulling is the author of over forty books for children, including the popular Great Idea series, stories of inventors. The third book in the series In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up, was nominated for the 2012 Governor General's Award for illustration and chosen as the 2012 Simon Wiesenthal Honor Book. In addition, Monica's work has been nominated for numerous Silver Birch Express and Golden Oak awards. Monica's recent picture books include Lumpito and the Painter from Spain, and Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity. Monica Kulling lives in Toronto, Canada. Visit her at www.monicakulling.com . Marie Lafrance has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her husband, her daughter plus a dog and a cat.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The Tweedles-Mama, Papa, Frances, and Francis-are one of the last families in their early 20th-century town to buy a car: "When the Tweedles need to go a distance, Papa hitches their horse, Mercury, to a cart. That's when they really travel at a clip." Finally, charmingly oblivious, mustachioed Papa elects to buy an electric car, instead of a rattling gas vehicle, which elicits contempt from other drivers ("Get a real car!"). Despite naysaying neighbors, the car proves as efficient as it is uncommon-and reliable in a pinch. Lafrance's (A Hen for Izzy Pippik) stylized illustrations allow each Tweedle to shine. When Mama learns about getting a car, she kicks up her bell-shaped gown to dance a jig; black sheep Frances is unimpressed and continues reading. Kulling (Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity) uses a deadpan narrative to playfully allude to 21st-century "green" technology while introducing an idiosyncratic family that would be right at home in a Wes Anderson movie. The morning after acquiring the car, Papa happily bikes to work. "I need time to get used to owning a car," he says. Years later, he's still biking. Ages 4-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In 1903, the Tweedle family eschews the new noisy, dirty, unreliable gas- and steam-powered automobiles, so Papa buys a quiet electric car. Mr. Hamm the butcher tells them to "get a real car," but when his car is out of gas during an emergency, a Tweedle helps out with their trusty electric. Energetic art accompanies the lighthearted story with contemporary relevance. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
The Tweedles Mama, Papa, Francis, and Frances are behind the times. It's 1903, and they still prefer bicycles and horse-drawn carts to the new gas-guzzling cars. Progress waits for no one, however, and soon the Tweedles want a car, too. Ever the iconoclast, Papa Tweedle decides to buy an electric car, and they find a real beauty shiny, green like Mama's eyes, and not a puff of acrid smoke to be found. Their neighbors are not impressed: Get a real car, they shout. It's green, Mama Tweedle replies, in a subtle nod to contemporary arguments about electric cars. Soon, though, everyone comes around, except for Papa Tweedle, who prefers his bike. Kulling (Lumpito and the Painter from Spain, 2013) tells a jaunty and enthusiastic story that's helped along by Lafrance's loopy illustrations in warm earth tones and stylized figures. The Tweedles seem to bounce with flouncy movement, and detailed renderings of early cars appear on almost every page. Fans of autos and budding environmentalists (what a combo!) should get a kick out of this.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-This tale set in 1903 is filled with playful language, quirky humor, and contemporary allusions. The Tweedle family does not own a car. And so, they are ridiculed and seen as odd because of their "behind the times" ways. Then one day, Mr. Tweedle decides that family will go modern and buy an electric car. All along, Mama has secretly always wanted a car, and she dances with joy. Eight-year-old Frankie is ecstatic; he loves wheels of any kind. Franny, 12, on the other hand, prefers to keep her nose in a book. The truth is, she is fearful of speed and nervous about getting lost. When they ask the car salesman why there is only one electric car to choose from, he says, "People .want noise. They want smoke..They want a car to sound and smell like a car." Papa's choice ("'We're electric. We're green! We're smart!'") is all well and good, but once out on the road, "the traffic is helter-skelter and every whichaway. There are no signs or lines." He decides that he needs time to get used to owning a car and goes back to riding his bike to work. Shortly after, neighbors come asking for help, and Franny comes to the rescue and drives them to the doctor. She finds the adventure exhilarating and realizes that she actually likes driving. Mama eventually learns to drive, but Papa still rides his bike to work. The graphite-on-paper and mixed-media-collage illustrations are dynamic and engaging and provide a fun look at life at the turn of the 20th century. A charming addition to most collections.-H. Islam, Brooklyn Public Library (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Mr. Tweedle springs for a new car in this impish tale. After all, it is a new century: the 20th. Unimpressed by the dust, noise and smoke of gas- and steam-driven automobiles, Papa Tweedle opts for a newfangled electric surrey, in green, as his family's first car. Tootling around town, the Tweedles respond to the sneers of passing motorists with happy shouts: "We're electric!" "We're green!" "We're smart!" Smart they are, as it turns outfor when scoffing neighbor Mr. Hamm accidently lops off his finger one day and discovers his own car has run out of gas, it's bookish, 12-year-old Frances Tweedle who drives him to the doctor's (and later drives that same electric car all the way across the country). Though Lafrance outfits her figures in period dress and decks out street scenes with antique cars and bicycles, plus an occasional horse-drawn cart, modern readers will have no trouble at all making the connection with this century's version of the issue. Not to mention the benefits of being both green and smart. A fine joke, well-delivered, and as clever as it is timely. (Picture book. 6-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
"How do they run? Are they safe?" asks Mama, nervously. "On a battery," replies Papa, proudly. "They are safe as houses." "Not too fast, Papa," warns Mama. "Remember Frances's nose." "Which one?" asks Papa. "She only has the one nose, dear," replies Mama. "I meant which Frances," says Papa. He swerves to avoid a horse and cart. Excerpted from The Tweedles Go Electric by Monica Kulling All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
