Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan

Review by Booklist Review

In this follow-up to Gooseberry Park (1995), the animals are living the dream. Murray the bat has a steady supply of Oreos; Gwendolyn the hermit crab periodically cruises around on the back of Kona, the chocolate lab; and Stumpy the squirrel has three bright children, though their habit of emulating Murray by hanging upside down has generated a bit of neighborhood gossip. When a drought hits the park and dries up Gooseberry Creek, however, the animal friends grow concerned for those who cannot journey far afield for water. That's when they know they need a plan a master plan. Enlisting a possum, a parliament of owls, and a few others, the park's animals come together to deliver water to those in need. Veteran children's author Rylant shows her knack for storytelling by incorporating just the right amount of heart, humor, and suspense into this gentle adventure. Short chapters generously peppered with Howard's endearing and often amusing illustrations make this a natural step up from beginning readers. A sweet tale of friendship and teamwork.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Twenty years after Gooseberry Park, Rylant and Howard return with a companion book, and it's well worth the wait. While an ice storm figured prominently in the previous book, a drought is now causing trouble for Stumpy the squirrel, Murray the bat, and other animals in and around the park. Rylant swiftly recaps the events of the earlier book before moving on to the animals' efforts to secure needed water, using a plan devised by genius crow Herman (it involves 200 owls and a great many drinking straws). Howard's b&w illustrations build on the story's ample humor (as when he shows a blissed-out Murray enjoying a Reiki session from Gwendolyn the hermit crab) while Rylant unspools a quietly magical tale of cooperation and kindness, with a gentle environmental undercurrent. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-Rain matters.especially when there is none. Gooseberry Park is suffering an unusual drought. In Gooseberry Park (Harcourt, 1995), readers met Stumpy, the caring mother squirrel; Murray, the animated black bat; Gwendolyn, the wise hermit crab; and Kona, the brave Chocolate Lab. In this clever sequel, the odd menagerie fears the effects of the drought on their beloved park and come up with a plan to get every creature, from the youngest to the oldest, life-saving water. They enlist the help of the park's assorted residents. While their scheme is utterly outrageous, (it's amazing what a raccoon, 200 owls, and 20 packs of chewing gum can do,) it conveys the idea that no matter the obstacles, a solution can be found by those willing to overcome differences and work together., This contemporary tale is a surefire winner. Rylant's inspired writing gives readers a humane understanding of drought and its consequences. The importance of family and friendship is reinforced as every creature rises to the occasion. The characters are wonderfully defined. The cartoonish black-and-white drawings add to the fun. Vocabulary is sophisticated. VERDICT Rylant does it again with this wonderful tale of nature, friendship, and family; a must-have.-Sada Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

Rylant reunites the animals from her 1995 Gooseberry Park and again places them in danger. A drought threatens the survival of the old and young, and the able four-legged inhabitants devise an amusing, but successful, plan to help them store water. Wordplay and jovial black-and-white illustrations add to the humor, and the gentle narration matches the there's-no-place-like-home theme. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Twenty years after the publication of Gooseberry Park (1995), Rylant returns with a sequel.In the previous outing, the residents of Gooseberry Park coped with an ice storm; now, a drought threatens Stumpy the squirrel and her family, along with all the other animals. This spurs house pets chocolate Lab Kona and hermit crab Gwendolyn to devise the titular master plan to help their friends through the ecological disaster. Herman the crowso smart that the rest of the crows have given up the annual chess match because they got sick of losing to himworks out a flowchart that involves a cat, a possum, a raccoon, 200 owls, and 20 packs of chewing gum. Murray the bat's motivational-speaker brother puts his well-developed jaw muscles to work on the gum; Kona's chocolate-Lab sincerity wins the unprecedented cooperation of 200 owls. Rylant writes with her customary restrained humor, creating with apparently no effort a full cast of three-dimensional furred and feathered characters. The story comes with lessons ranging from the overuse of fossil fuels to the peculiar magic of friendship, all applied with a gentle hand and a spirit of generous trust in the abilities of her readers to understand them. Her frequent collaborator Howard supplies lumpily humorous grayscale illustrations that augment the character development and give readers' eyes places to rest. Readers new to Gooseberry Park will hope they don't have to wait another 20 years for the next book. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan 1 Fine Friends It is not an easy job raising three children, especially if those children seem always to be hanging upside down in a tree. Such was the life of Stumpy Squirrel, the busiest squirrel mother in all of Gooseberry Park. It was all Murray's fault, of course. Bats most naturally hang upside down and are good at it. Murray was a bit of a show-off anyway, so he swung by his toes whenever anyone passing by happened to look up. Murray was Stumpy's tree mate, best friend, and self-appointed uncle to her three children: Sparrow, Top, and Bottom. And he could be a very naughty influence, as when he taught the children to hang by their toes, and they drew all sorts of remarks from the park residents as a result. Most remarks were kind, as when Old Badger said she had never seen such clever squirrels in all her days. Some remarks were neutral, as when the raven simply commented that toes were neither good nor bad, they just were. And a few remarks were plainly mean and of course issued forth from the mouths of the weasels, every one of whom remarked that it would probably be a good idea if a certain squirrel mother taught her children some etiquette. "Etiquette?" repeated Murray when Stumpy told him about this insult. "Isn't that where New Yorkers go for the weekend?" "No," said Stumpy, "that's Connecticut. Etiquette is manners." "Manners!" shrieked Murray, who enjoyed drama. "Manners! If I had manners, I'd starve!" (Murray was referring to the fact that he regularly pilfered egg rolls from the Dumpster by the Chinese restaurant down the street. And doughnuts from the bakery Dumpster on the other side of the park. And enchiladas from the Taco Craze Dumpster over by the freeway. The list could go on for miles.) "Well," said Stumpy, "mothers are sensitive." "And weasels are rats," said Murray. "Rats in weasel clothing." Stumpy sighed. "Gwendolyn would understand," she said. "Gwendolyn understands everything." Murray nodded in agreement. "It's because she's a hundred and four years old," he said. "She is not!" cried Stumpy. "She's just wise." "Gwendolyn is wise and a hundred and four years old," said Murray. "You are counting all her past lives she told us about," said Stumpy. "In hermit crab time Gwendolyn is just, well, she is just . . ." "A hundred and four," said Murray. "Oh, for goodness' sake," said Stumpy. Gwendolyn was Stumpy and Murray's dear, dear friend. They could not imagine how they had ever managed without her. Gwendolyn might be a hermit crab, but she understood each of them perfectly. She gave Stumpy--who was something of a worrier--the very best advice about rearing young children. (Gwendolyn's advice always solved the problem.) And Gwendolyn praised Murray's heart, which was actually quite a big heart, but one that Murray hid behind a million funny lines. Gwendolyn never let her bat friend get away with this. "You are a shining emblem of love to those children," Gwendolyn often said to Murray. "A shining plum?" said Murray. "A shining emblem," said Gwendolyn. "A shiny Indian?" said Murray. "Emblem," said Gwendolyn. "Envelope?" said Murray. "Oh, for goodness' sake," said Gwendolyn. But Murray really did hear her. And it made him proud. The true hero among them all, of course, was the one who said very little about love or courage or wisdom but excelled at all three. And this true hero's name was Kona. Kona was a chocolate Labrador who lived a quiet dog's life with Gwendolyn and their human, Professor Albert. It had been well over a year since Kona had faced the greatest challenge of his life by rescuing Stumpy's three children. This had happened during a most terrifying ice storm that ravaged the trees of Gooseberry Park, among those the great pin oak where Stumpy's babies had just been born. With Murray's help, and Gwendolyn's help, Kona managed to hide the children he had rescued by placing them in the Christmas decorations in Professor Albert's basement until Stumpy--who had gone missing in the storm--was found. It was during this time that Murray developed a strong attachment to television and Oreo cookies. Both were still central to his life. And he had since then sneaked into Professor Albert's house on warm summer days--easing open the screen door with his sneaky little foot--so he could have a cookie and watch Jeopardy! with Gwendolyn. Professor Albert was usually napping in the hammock. So life for these fine friends and for Professor Albert had been very rich since the ice storm, and the three squirrel babies--once sheltered by a chocolate Labrador and a hermit crab in a human's house--had grown taller and rounder and stronger. And they could hang by their toes. Life had been very rich and very quiet. But the very quiet part was about to change. Excerpted from Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan by Cynthia Rylant All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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