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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | EASY READER HOB | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | EASY READER HOB | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The little Brute family is not nice. Can Baby Brute change their ways?
Author Notes
Russell Hoban was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on February 4, 1925. He attended art school in Philadelphia and during World War II, he served in the Army and earned a Bronze Star. He taught art in New York and Connecticut, and also worked as an advertising copywriter and a freelance illustrator before beginning his career as a writer.
He began publishing children's books in the late 1950s, including What Does It Do and How Does It Work?, Bedtime for Frances and the six other books featuring Frances, The Story of Hester Mouse Who Became a Writer, What Happened When Jack and Daisy Tried to Fool the Tooth Fairies, and The Mouse and His Child, which was adapted as an animated film in 1977.
In 1973, he published his first adult novel, The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz. His other books for adults include Turtle Diary, Pilgermann, and Ridley Walker. He received the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award for Ridley Walker. He died on December 13 at the age of 86. In 2015 he made the Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist for his title Jim's Lion wth illlustrator Alexis Deacon.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-First published in 1966, and featuring the original art, The Little Brute Family can now be enjoyed as a newly formatted book for beginning readers. The Brutes are scruffy, grumbling creatures similar to trolls. They snarl and grimace when they eat and avoid pleasantries such as "Please" or "Thank you." They never laugh or smile. One day Baby Brute finds a lost good feeling in a field of daisies. He puts it in his pocket and shares it with his family. The good feeling becomes so much a part of their lives that they rename themselves the Nice Family. Next, Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse, favorite characters from George Selden's A Cricket in Times Square (Farrar, 1961), enjoy their days together. In the evenings, Harry Cat likes to go to the theater while Tucker Mouse prefers to stay in the drain pipe they call home. When the feline is offered a part in a Broadway play, he has little time for Tucker, who tells his friend how much he is missed. Tucker attends one of his performances and realizes that Harry has become a star, and he accepts the reality that their friendship is doomed. However, Harry forgoes the limelight, deciding to spend his time with his old pal. The Ivanovs' artwork is in the style of Garth Williams, illustrator of the original story. Large, bold, and vibrant ink and watercolor images grace each page. New readers will enjoy this introduction to the classic tale and be touched by the lesson about the importance of friendship. Both books are worthy additions to beginning-reader collections.-Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Mama serves up ``a sand and gravel porridge'' and the family ``snarls and grimaces'' as they gobble it up; it's business as usual for the Brutes. Ages 6-9. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
The Hobans' classic story concerns the grumpy family whose mood is turned around by "a little wandering lost good feeling" unearthed from a field of flowers by Baby Brute. This edition is "formatted especially for beginning readers," with new line breaks and reading levels assigned to it (Level 2, AR: 4.4). (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.