Product Description

Eugene’s story is the story of almost every child who has found himself in the middle. All day, he finds himself trying to tell his own story. He wants to talk about how nicely he can pour his cereal. His sister Winifred interrupts to point out he is spilling. He wants to tell about the shoes he can put on. His sister points out that he has them on the wrong feet. When he tries to say that he’d like to walk the dog, Winifred is quick to interrupt: “We don’t have a dog!” In short, Eugene’s story is that he cannot tell his story. At least not until it is bedtime when he can dream – that he is an only child.

Richard Scrimger evokes a gentle and realistic family life in his tales of Bun Bun, Winifred, and of course, Eugene.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2271638 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-18
• Released on: 2003-11-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 24 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1--Eugene likes to amuse himself by telling a story about a boy named Eugene, but his big sister, Winifred, keeps interrupting him mid-sentence with her shrill refrain ("No-no-no!") and annoying observations about the things he cannot do. Eventually, Eugene decides he's had enough. In a surprising plot twist, he stares at Winifred, who shrinks down to nothing and vanishes, leaving her brother free to imagine himself an only child and end his story on a high note. Johnson's winsome art features simple watercolor-and-line illustrations filled with pastels and surrounded by ample white space. A therapeutic glimpse into the frustrating world of a younger sibling.--Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
PreS. Eugene is the second child caught in the middle between his big sister, Winifred, and his little sister, Bun Bun. He tries to tell his story, but he can't do it, because Winifred won't let him. She corrects everything he says, interrupts him, stops him, yells at him ("Your boots are on the wrong feet. . . . No-no-no!"), and jeers at his dreams of independence ("You aren't old enough"). Johnson's small, scribbly cartoon illustrations in line and watercolor are both touching and very funny, evoking the child's fury and frustration in a world where big means control. In style and substance, this is reminiscent of the late William Steig's Grown-Ups Get to Do All the Driving (1995), but here the boss is closer--a sibling, not a grown-up. Second kids, even older ones, will want this. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
?Johnson?s?illustrations in line and watercolor are both touching and very funny, evoking the child?s fury and frustration?. Second kids, even older ones, will want this.?
?Booklist
-- Review