The Worrywarts

by Pamela Duncan Edwards, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Overview

What if...?

Wombat asks Weasel and Woodchuck if they want to wander the world with her, but they are overwhelmed with worries.

What if they walk into a swarm of waiting wasps?
What if the weather worsens?
What if they're walloped by warthogs?
What then...?

Popular author/illustrator duo Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole team up again to deliver a wonderful whimsical alliterative tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064435161
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/04/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	194,153
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.12(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Pamela Duncan Edwards is the author of numerous popular picture books, including Livingstone Mouse; Roar! A Noisy Counting Book; Some Smug Slug; The Worrywarts; Clara Caterpillar; Wake-Up Kisses; Rosie's Roses; The Leprechaun's Gold; and Gigi and Lulu's Gigantic Fight, all illustrated by Henry Cole; as well as Dear Tooth Fairy, illustrated by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick; McGillycuddy Could!, illustrated by Sue Porter; and The Neat Line, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives in Virginia.

Henry Cole was a celebrated science teacher for many years before turning his talents to children’s books. He has worked on nearly one hundred and fifty books for children, including Unspoken, Big Bug, A Nest for Celeste, Jack’s Garden, and On Meadowview Street. Henry loves being outside, where he can sketch and write. His favorite sound is the first robin song of the spring. You can visit him online at www.henrycole.net.

Editorial Reviews

The story is told with as many w words as the author could think of, which makes reading aloud fun. The illustrations complement and add to the fun of the tale.

Children's Book Review Service

"The creators of Some Smug Slug here use alliteration to lighthearted and humorous effect," wrote PW. "Childlike colored pencil drawings portray even the scariest of scenes in a wholly whimsical way to keep even the wimpiest of worrywarts from worrying." Ages 4-6. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

As they did in Some Smug Slug, Edwards and Cole here use alliteration to lighthearted and humorous effect. On a "warm Wednesday morning," Wombat, Weasel and Woodchuck contemplate all the terrible misadventures that could befall them while preparing for a "wander into the world." There is a predictable rhythm to the story, in which each character, in turn, experiences that "Wait! What if..." feeling and is offered comfort and assurance by the other two companions. When Weasel worries what will happen if they are swept into the wilderness by a whirlwind while being chased by a wolf, Woodchuck wisely decides to wear his woolly underwear if it's going to be windy. Yet, it is, in fact, each character who ultimately faces his or her own fear and saves the entourage from any impending danger. Cole's childlike colored pencil drawings portray even the scariest of scenes in a wholly whimsical way to keep even the wimpiest of worrywarts from worrying. Ages 4-6. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-When Wombat, Weasel, and Woodchuck decide to wander the world, they each choose a favorite food or item they'd like to take along. Worry sets in, and they add to their list of needs to prevent the imagined dangers. Once out in the world, their fears become real, and it is their original foods and objects that save them. Prolific picture-book duo Edwards and Cole miss slightly with this alliterative tale: "What if we're running away when the weather worsens? What if a whirlwind blows in from the west and sweeps us away into the wilderness?" In Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke (1995) and Some Smug Slug (1996, both HarperCollins), half of the fun was in finding "f" and "s" words and shapes in the illustrations. In this book, the wordy text leaves no "w" unuttered. Cole's cartoon colored-pencil illustrations are lively and fun, but the text overpowers them. Even this team's fans will find this story forced and disappointing.-Timothy Capehart, Leominster Public Library, MA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal