The Toy Brother

Reviewed by: Anne Donovan - Long Island Community Library, Long Island, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 10, 2017

Review

The Toy Brother by award winning author, the late William Steig, was originally published in 1996. Yorick and Charles are the sons of Magnus Bede, a famous alchemist. Yorick, being the elder son and his father's apprentice, has little time or patience for his annoying younger brother Charles, in spite of Charle's best efforts to get along. When the boys' parents go away Yorick tries his luck at making a new potion in his father's lab and ends up shrinking himself down until he has become "no bigger than a cockroach"! Charles is delighted to have the upper hand and being the "big brother". He builds a toy size house and feeds Yorick meals of "three crumbs of bread and a spoonful of clabber cheese". When their parents return they are none too concerned and the mother cheerfully resorts to making small clothes and furniture for her "itty-bitty bantling" while the father searches for the antidote. When Yorick is finally restored to normal size the family celebrate "like a bunch of maniacs" and the brothers have a new found appreciation for each other. Grades K-3 will enjoy this picture book as a read aloud. The language and vocabulary are fanciful and rich and Steig's ink and watercolor illustrations colorful and fun.

Overall Book Score: very good