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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP DE SÈVE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | E De Seve | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The great New Yorker artist Peter de Seve teams up with the author of bestselling Toy Boat in a slightly outrageous fairy tale.
The Duchess of Whimsy is fancy and fussy--and definitely not ordinary--surrounding herself with wild friends, fabulous foods, and fancy dress. The Earl of Norm (ho hum) is completely ordinary, but he adores the Duchess. She ignores him, until the chef gets sick, and her friends have to make a super supper--which includes tracking down truffles, spinning sugar stars, and looking for quail eggs.
But the Earl is hungry! He sneaks off to an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich--and suddenly takes the Duchess's eye. Maybe there's something to simplicity after all. Maybe there's something to the Earl after all . . .
This deliciously told and illustrated love story by the remarkable de S#65533;ves shows how utterly charming and extraordinary a picture book can be.
Author Notes
Randall de Sève made her debut as an author with the New York Times bestseller Toy Boat, illustrated by Loren Long. She is also the author of The Duchess of Whimsy, illustrated by her husband, Peter de Sève.
Randall lives with her and children in Brooklyn, New York.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-The young Duchess of Whimsy is known far and wide as a person with esoteric tastes. Her parties are extravagant and she counts the most unusual people as her friends. Conversely, the Earl of Norm is as plain and ordinary as toast. He tries everything to impress the duchess, but she continues to find him lackluster. Nevertheless, her father wants her to cultivate the friendship so that their respective kingdoms may coexist peacefully. It is only when a crisis occurs on the night of one of her soirees that the duchess learns that ordinary may not be a bad word. This charming tale is playfully illustrated, portraying the duchess's world in crowded spreads that contrast with the earl's simple vignettes against a white background. The visuals tell the tale as vividly as the prose. This is a sure winner and a nice break from routine princess stories.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite its witty tongue-in-cheek tone and quirky and exuberant artwork, this love story about an earl and an unconventional duchess blurs the line between "ordinary" and "extraordinary." The narrator insists that the extravagant duchess of Whimsy is "the life of the party" while the earl of Norm is "as normal as they come." But the earl, whose Ichabod Crane body is shown dressed in courtly finery, seems as eccentric as the rest of the courtiers, who Peter de Seve gleefully depicts with exaggerated hairstyles and facial expressions and wearing oceans of fabric. He wears a jaunty feather in his tall, lopsided hat, and in an effort to impress the duchess, he presents her with a giraffe who tries to eat the foliage on the courtier's hats. He even composes "sugary poetry comparing the duchess to a squid, a platypus and a penguin." Nonetheless, she continues to pronounce him "too ordinary!" It's not until the earl of Norm shares his ordinary grilled cheese sandwich with the duchess that she wonders if she's misjudged him, and in the happily-ever-after end, they both find each other to be "simply extraordinary!" Ages 4-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
The free-spirited Duchess of Whimsy finds little to recommend the staid Earl of Norm, who is pragmatism personified. However, his adoration of her drives him to engage in outlandish antics to garner her attention. With droll wit, Randall de S've recounts the tireless efforts of the misguided Earl as he attempts to court the impetuous Duchess. When her cook is stricken with illness prior to dinner, the Duchess learns to appreciate the practical nature of her suitor, with a little help from his grilled-cheese sandwich. Husband Peter de S've's illustrations bring the capricious Duchess and her steady suitor to life in his picture-book debut, with frills and furbelows galore, as well as a towering, plume-adorned beehive hairdo for the Duchess. Lavish spreads set against refreshing white space playfully merge the ordinary with the extraordinary, giving readers a fey and enchanting world to perusea high-spirited salute to the adage that opposites attract. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Randall de Sève (Toy Boat, 2009) teams up with her husband, accomplished illustrator Peter de Sève (the New Yorker, Mulan, and Ice Age), to create this dreamy delight. The Duchess of Whimsy is charismatic, full of surprises, and magnetic. She throws lavish parties and invites her many friends, including the Duke of Dreams and the Shah of Huzzah. The Earl of Norm is her polar opposite, but he is sweet, good-natured, and willing to try anything to gain her affections: he recites mushy poetry, tries on absurd fashions, and brings a rambunctious giraffe to one of her parties. The duchess is not having it, so he gives up trying to be something he is not and winds up capturing her heart by exposing her to the simple delight of grilled-cheese sandwiches. Pages burst to life with rich colors whenever the duchess appears and then become comically dull whenever the earl shows up. With a romantic story and smooth art, this charming picture book will appeal to sophisticated young readers who will find the happily-ever-after whimsically ordinary.--Jones, Courtney Copyright 2009 Booklist