The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
Starred Review. Grade 1-5–A comically dense couple named Horace and Glenda Pork-Fowler (a pig and a goose, of course) receives an invitation from Dr. Hunter, the new owner of Eatum Hall, "…for a weekend of free gourmet food!" Exclamation points abound in this pun-filled excursion to an English manor that's crammed with all sorts of ominous items, including knives, axes, oil paintings of animals being devoured by wolves, and a Walter Crane portrait of Red Riding Hood. High tech mixes with an old-fashioned mystery as the food-loving couple is instructed by the absent host to partake in "…a fully automated dining experience." Robotic devices serve the Pork-Fowlers delicious meals, but observant readers will catch glimpses of other machines designed for more predatory uses. In the end, the Pork-Fowlers are saved by their own oblivious gluttony, a fitting conclusion to this delightful story. The digitally created pictures have an impressionistic quality that lends a look of unpolished spontaneity. There's beautiful use of color and exaggeration of all sorts to add atmosphere. A wealth of visual and verbal details will engage children on many levels. Clever and fun.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, ILCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.