The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) | 
 enlarge | Creators: John Kelly, Cathy Tincknell
Publisher: Candlewick
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $7.94
You Save: $8.05 (50%)
New (6) Used (8) from $7.87
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 159268
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 32
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 11.4 x 9.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 0763625949
EAN: 9780763625948
ASIN: 0763625949
Publication Date: August 19, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New, unread, unused and in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages, may have a remainder mark.
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Product Description
A gluttonous pig and goose inadvertently foil their sinister host in an original little comedy full of visual jokes, rendered in an eye-catching film noir style.
Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler are a goose and a hog of large proportions, with appetites to match. So naturally, when they receive an invitation for a weekend of free gourmet food at Eatum Hall, Dr. Hunter's new inn, they don't hesitate to pack their bags. It's a bit curious that there's no one to greet them at the gloomy inn, and their absent owner does have an odd fondness for artwork depicting wolves. Still, the unfailingly cheerful couple are more than content to eat their way from feast to feast, disappointed only to learn that they'll miss the pie-eating festival on the day they leave. Or will they?
With graphic artwork that pops off the page, this tongue-in-cheek tale will delight readers of all ages, from fans of Wallace and Gromit and Berkeley Breathed to children who will love discovering the illustrator's many sight gags — and being in on the joke.
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| Customer Reviews:
the mystery of eatum hall November 12, 2007
cute book! my 6yr old and 9 yr old definitely enjoyed it more than my 3 year old, probably due to the fact that there are puns, play-on-words and hidden pictures within the illustrations. overall, they all enjoyed the story which centers around a food-loving couple, a pig and a goose, who are invited to attend a weekend of gourmet delights hosted by the unseen dr. hunter, who turns out to be a wolf, looking for plump ingredients to put in his pie machine. the ending has the wolf getting his just desserts.
 The Mystery Of Eatum Hall October 2, 2007
This book is pretty silly and cute but it didn't really hold my son's attention. It is not one of the books he asks me to read over and over again. Other kids might really enjoy it though. I liked it better than a lot of the books my son really enjoys.
 A must have July 27, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
You could lose hours looking at the art. The story is great. And the kids love it!
Muncha muncha muncha August 1, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
No one has ever been able to explain sufficiently to me why it is that some picture books receive all the press and fanfare of that of a shuttle takeoff while other mosey quietly onstage and off in relative obscurity. "The Mystery of Eatum Hall" belongs firmly in the latter category, and this is a shame. The book has a distinctly British tenor to it. A kind of Edward Gorey (yes, I know he was American) meets "Wind In the Willows" feel. While some children may prefer their picture books to end on a somewhat less gruesome note, I believe firmly that for the kid with a mildly twisted sense of humor, no book can serve them better than this moderately dark picture book. A great comeuppance on behalf of all the Red Riding Hoods of the world.
Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler (an ostrich-like bird and pig, respectively) are not particularly surprised when they receive a summons in the mail. But then, they're really not the kinds of animals to be surprised by anything. The note comes from the mysterious Mr. Hunter who recently purchased nearby Eatum Hall. In it, the two are invited to a delightful week-end of food tasting, courtesy of Mr. Hunter himself. Ever fans of the gastronomic, the two pack their bags and head to the mysterious Hall. Once there, they find their host missing, but mechanical servants present who can attend their every whim. Though there's something distinctly creepy about the place (the eyes in portraits follow the two everywhere, certain rooms in the home are always locked, and the bed seems to be some kind of scale) the two don't feel even a twinge of misgivings regarding their absent "friend". It's only when Mr. Hunter's mysterious plans go a little too right that our friends return home happy (if somewhat larger) while Hunter's fate is reminiscent of the wolf in the original Grimm telling of The Three Little Pigs.
Oh, why be coy? I'll just come out and say it. He gets eaten. Baked into a pie and devoured (we can only assume) by other wolves who are last seen cutting into the large steaming dessert. Is it a somewhat macabre ending to a somewhat macabre tale? Most certainly. Kelly and Tincknell have no qualms about foreshadowing Glenda and Horace's potential fate left right and center. Though they cannot, sharp eyed readers will see the flit of a wolfy tail disappear out of one picture or view the two charming guests through far reaching binoculars. Hunter is never seen clearly front and center, but you have no difficulty figuring out what he's up to.
The illustrations are digitally created, which may strike the viewer as odd on first glance. Though the pictures are beautiful, they seem like nothing so much as thick gouache or possibly acrylic paints. There's nothing to suggest that these are pictures drawn, "freehand onscreen" in any way. This is for the best. You wouldn't want to read a story of this nature if it looked like it came from the same universe as "Finding Nemo". The story is certainly British through and through as well. The humor's just a bit too sardonic to be taken for something American. Also, there are hints of British culture scattered hither and thither. The fact that they are going to a Hall. The name of the Pork-Fowler (love the hyphen) home is Dun Fastin (ho ho!). Things of that nature.
Is this going to be a beloved book in the home though? Will your children clamor for it to be read again and again to them? No idea. Certainly I realized rather quickly that this was not going to be a good title to read aloud to large groups. It's too difficult to point out all the clever details and tiny words scattered about the pages. No, this is a book for a very particular kind of child and a very particular kind of adult. If you've a kid who laughs uproariously at old Charles Addams comics, this is the book for them. It's dark, but in all the right ways.
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