Meet Stinky Magee

From Publishers Weekly Red-headed Stinky, who lives in Puddingtown, goes on a quest with his hobbyhorse Shnoopsie to the secret land of Snaggamumfrey, which serves up the best chocolate ice cream sundae in the worldAfor free. Unfortunately, the text rarely rises above the flat and obvious; most of the narrative simply describes what the audience can easily glean from looking ("The moon and the sun and the stars twinkled around them"). But Sokol's na?f-style illustrations, thickly outlined and rendered in a dense, confection-inspired palette, are good enough to eat, and should prove particularly captivating for the preschool set. In one of the many memorable full-bleed spreads, Stinky and his horse sail through a licorice sky dotted with nonpareil planets; the effect is something like a candy-filled pi?ata bursting. Ages 3-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-Stinky Magee is a precocious-looking "funny little guy with curly orange hair-." Like most children, he has a fabulous imagination and a favorite toy, and the two combined lead to adventure. He and his hobbyhorse, Shnoopsie, like to travel to a magical land called Snaggamumfrey, "a place where any wish can come true." One day Stinky wishes for "the best chocolate ice-cream sundae in the world." He shouts the magic words, "Be good, be fast-be gone!" and Shnoopsie is transformed into a turbocharged rocket horse, and they're on their way. Since this is a land of make-believe, the sundae is indeed the best in the world, and the boy awakens back in bed before the next morning. The story is slight and the text is mediocre at best. Sokol utilizes a psychedelic blend of colors in his artwork; the occasional white background is all the more startling, for there is such a saturation of color throughout. The multimedia illustrations rendered in "pen-and-ink, acrylic and latex paints, and anything else that looks interesting" have a childlike, sophomoric quality. Unfortunately, wishes and magic aren't enough to save this ineffectual offering.