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Summary
Summary
A forgetful boy gets himself into trouble.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This droll, cumulative story tells of an ever-so-forgetful boy, Plug, whose loving mother sends him to the store for soap. Concentrating on his mission as he walks along, Plug calls out the refrain of the title, causing an elderly woman to fall into the creek. She dunks him and leaves him with a new line that takes its place in his memory instead of the old one: "`What a mess I've become, but now you're one, too!'" This sentence offends the next person he meets and the chain of mishaps continues until a bedraggled but triumphant Plug returns home with the soap. This version differs from Richard Chase's tale of the same title in Grandfather Tales (Houghton, 1973) in its emphasis on motherly love and in its softened, less punitive approach. Students may recognize a similar story in Pat Hutchins's Don't Forget the Bacon (Greenwillow, 1976). Glass's bright, action-filled illustrations are reminiscent of Stephen Gammell's work in Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (Bradbury, 1985). Birdseye's vivid language, use of repetition, and tone invite oral readings. A book that will be useful for story hours and units on Appalachian tales.-Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Absentminded Plug Honeycut's trip to the store sets off a chain of silly mishaps in what PW called an ``engagingly retold yarn'' featuring snappy, ``suitably slapdash'' colored-pencil illustrations. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Poor Plug Honeycutt has a very bad memory. When his mother sends him to buy soap, he repeats to himself, ''Soap! Soap! Don't forget the soap!'' On his first encounter, he substitutes an old woman's exclamation for his own, and trades remarks, with ever more disastrous results, all the way to town, until someone finally mentions soap again. The illustrations have an appropriately rustic quality, just exactly right for the homely subject. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Plug Honeycut has ``such a poor memory some say he'd forget his own name,'' so when Mama sends him to the store he chants her instructions, over and over, until a bullfrog distracts him. An encounter with an old lady who's just slipped on a stone ``as slick as soap'' recalls the words; unfortunately, she takes exception to his happy recovery and dunks him, hollering, ``What a mess I've become, but now you're one, too!'' So it goes: Plug picks up the new line, which proves peculiarly insulting to the next person he meets, who inadvertently provides him with another, and so on until a lady shrieks, ``I ought to wash your mouth out with soap!'' just as he nears the store. Birdseye's brisk down-home retelling is colorful and comical; Glass's affectionately caricatured mountain folk cavort in sunny colored pencils and watercolor. A natural for reading aloud. (Folklore/Picture book. 5-10)
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. Plug Honeycut, the forgetful hero, lives in Sassafras Hollow with his mother, who one day sends him to buy soap. In an effort to remember his errand, he repeats "Soap! Soap! Don't forget the soap!" as he walks down the road. Encounters with neighbors in a variety of conditions cause him to forget, then recall, his domestic quest. He eventually returns home triumphant--but in great need of what he went out to buy. "And from that day on--as you're sure to remember--Plug Honeycut never forgot a thing his mama told him . . . not ever again . . . for the rest of his life." A variation on "Soap, Soap, Soap," found in Richard Chase's Grandfather Tales (1973), this is a useful adaptation of a familiar story, with brightly colored, vibrantly composed illustrations that give the impression of energy and motion. While Plug's oversize hobnailed boots may be seen as stereotypical and the "mountain" language barely avoids being precious at times, the balance holds. The book will also work well in read-aloud programs for youngsters in kindergarten through grade three or as source for more traditional library storytelling. ~--Janice Del Negro