No Sword Fighting in the House (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Remembering Mrs. Rossi; and: No Sword Fighting in the House Deborah Stevenson Hest, Amy Remembering Mrs. Rossi; illus. by Heather Maione. Candlewick, 2007184p ISBN 0-7636-2163-3$14.99 R* Gr. 2-4 Hill, Susanna Leonard No Sword Fighting in the House; illus. by True Kelley. Holiday House, 2007 [32p] ISBN 0-8234-1916-9$14.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-4 This easy reader introduces Arthur and Lance, a pair of obstreperous brothers. Their mother hopes to win the Daffodil Days prize (a month's supply of fertilizer) for her flowers, but when she's out preparing, the boys break the important household rule of "no sword fighting in the house." In the second chapter, the boys obey that rule, instead jousting on cowback in the yard—which results in bovine trampling of the contest daffodils; in the final chapter, the judge, keen to unload fertilizer, concocts a "most room for improvement" prize for the boys' mother's garden, and the spreading of the award is the boys' punishment. Some of the jokes and vocabulary require a fairly high comfort level with the printed word, but readers will revel at the sardonic and absurd wit mustered in the spare prose ("I'm all a-twitter," says a deadpan Dad about the prospect of Daffodil Days); chivalry-inclined youngsters will note that the whole thing is a modern-day romp of Arthuriana, between Dad's hard work up at the castle, the boys' taste for swordplay and jousting, and, of course, the names, including that of their neighbor, Gwenn. Kelley's line-and-watercolor illustrations are poker-faced about the knighthood joke, making the scenes determinedly ordinary depictions of a rowdy pair of country kids and offering a broadly comedic complement to the text. With its combination of mayhem and dimensionality, this may appeal to older reluctant readers as well, and novices will find the silliness ample reward for their perseverance. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois