Reviews

When Old Henry sees a ramshackle house, he decides to move in, birds and all. His furniture seems to go with the place; he feels at home. But the neighbors expect Old Henry to fix up the house and yardexpectations he ignores, thank you very much. They try everything to persuade him, but even the bribe of a hot pie won't get Old Henry to clean up. Tired of being nagged, he leaves town. Then the townspeople feel lost without him and, wherever it is that Old Henry is, he misses them, too. A letter to the mayor sets the wheels in motion for him to return home (but he'll mend the gate and shovel the snow). This compromise is a little disappointing; young readers will probably have loved Old Henry the way he was and may wish the neighbors would get off his back! In fact, Henry's honesty and happiness make this a heroic story until the ending, which some may find sentimental. Without undermining the text, the rainbow-hued watercolor and pencil drawings exalt the simple affirmations of the story, with characters both comic and poignant. Gammell demonstrates again that he is one of themost gifted illustrators working today.(All ages)

Gr 1-3Old Henry , told in verse, relates the interactions of a stubborn individualist and his neighbors in a small town. When Henry moves in to a dilapidated old house, his new neighbors look forward to his fixing it up. When he is content to leave it as it is, his neighbors become upset. The mayor suggests that they try being nice, ``please, try it twice.'' But their efforts are rebuffed. Eventually Henry leaves. While the neighbors begin to question their actions, Henry also realizes he misses them. The story ends with his letter to the mayor seeking a compromise, and younger children may have problems with the lack of closure to the story. Yet the book raises interesting questions about individual freedom versus community responsibility and would be useful for a discussion of these ideas at home or school. Gammell's softly colored pencil drawings give Henry more character than is brought out in the text, with his jaunty railroad cap and mismatched socks. There are no solid blocks of color to be found here. Every surface glows with a prism of hues, as though to emphasize the many facets to be found in both Henry and his neighbors and the world they share. Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library

"Gammell's illustrations provide a treat for the eye."--" ALA Booklist"An ode to noncomformity, both touching and humorous."--" Horn Book