Publishers Weekly
02/03/2014
Wheeler’s (Miss Maple’s Seeds) sure hand and lyrical pen-and-ink spreads are the source of this story’s charm. Long skirts billow, the fairy-tale cottage of Cornelius the Grudge Keeper leans sweetly to one side, and the white scraps of paper on which villagers have written their grudges billow and drift like sea foam. The story holds few surprises as the villagers discover that nursing grudges leads only to heartbreak, while forgiveness brings happiness. Rockliff’s (Me and Momma and Big John) rococo wordplay is an apt match for Wheeler’s artwork: “Ruffled feathers, petty suits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios—the Grudge Keeper received them all.” The clever prose is, at times, more likely to sail over the heads of younger readers and head for older members of the audience: “Low blows rested high up in the pile. High dudgeon had drifted down low.” In an effort to introduce a contemporary note into the traditional setting, Wheeler makes the romance between Big Otto and Lily Belle an interracial one. On the whole, it’s a sweet, fluffy diversion. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
"Wheeler's (Miss Maple's Seeds) sure hand and lyrical pen-and-ink spreads are the source of this story's charm. Long skirts billow, the fairy-tale cottage of Cornelius the Grudge Keeper leans sweetly to one side, and the white scraps of paper on which villagers have written their grudges billow and drift like sea foam."—Publishers Weekly
"This is an especially attractive picture book. . . Wheeler's eye-catching cartoon drawings are busy with activity and whimsical detail that adds fullness to this simple, pleasant tale, and Rockliff's telling is sprightly. This book will resonate most with teachers and adults looking to share stories about the value of forgiveness."—School Library Journal
"Rockliff's wordplay is a joy, while Wheeler's Dickensian group of scowlers is pleasant to watch–even when they get happy."—Booklist
★ "Rockliff has created a clever fable characterized by ornate language, extraordinary characters and billowy atmosphere. . . . Wheeler's strong, witty ink-and-watercolor illustrations combine with the text to humorously demonstrate that "holding a grudge" is a bad thing."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
School Library Journal
03/01/2014
K-Gr 2—No one in the picturesque village of Bonnyripple ever holds a grudge. Instead, they write down their tiffs and snits, umbrage and squabbles and give them to Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper. Cornelius files the grudges within his rambling house until the rolls of paper fill his rooms and flow down the front steps. When a mighty wind scatters the grudges into an unruly pile, Cornelius is buried underneath. As the villagers work together to dig him out, they forget their grudges and renew their friendships. This is an especially attractive picture book, with pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations dominated by warm shades of yellow, brown, and gold. Wheeler's eye-catching cartoon drawings are busy with activity and whimsical detail that adds fullness to this simple, pleasant tale, and Rockliff's telling is sprightly. This book will resonate most with teachers and adults looking to share stories about the value of forgiveness.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-02-19
"No one in the town of Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. No one, that is, except old Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper." So begins this original fairy tale that provides a literal illustration of the idiom "holding a grudge." Three grudges are born in scene-setting vignettes: Minnie's goat eats Elvira Bogg's prizewinning zinnias. A schoolboy snatches the schoolmaster's toupee. And tragically, clumsy Big Otto "stomp[s] on Lily Belle's new shoes at the spring fling." The grudges are actual pieces of paper that the angry, pinch-faced people hand over to a gentle old man named Cornelius. His house is jammed full with these scrolls, each one representing a hurt feeling. But one night, the wind begins to blow. Like a tornado, it rips through town, blowing out candles and flinging pies into the air. The next morning, the people of Bonnyripple storm up to Cornelius' house with all their new complaints. But what has happened to all the grudges? More importantly, what has happened to Cornelius? Rockliff has created a clever fable characterized by ornate language, extraordinary characters and billowy atmosphere. "Tiffs and huffs, squabbles and quibbles—all the grudges had been tossed away, down to the last small scrap of pique." Wheeler's strong, witty ink-and-watercolor illustrations combine with the text to humorously demonstrate that "holding a grudge" is a bad thing. Wordplay and humor provide an effective vehicle for a valuable moral. (Picture book. 5-8)
