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Humphrey, Albert, and the flying machine

Name: Humphrey, Albert, and the flying machine
Author: John Manders
ISBN: 9780152162351

by John Manders

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Overview

Humphrey and Albert think Princess Briar Rose's party is bo-o-oring—after all, everyone falls asleep! But when the brothers are the first to awake nearly one hundred years later, they realize the royal court has been enchanted—and only a kiss can wake up the princess and break the curse. Refusing to do any smooching (Yech!), they go in search of a handsome prince. Instead, they find Daniel Bernoulli, inventor of an incredible flying machine. But can the curse be broken by an ordinary inventor?

In this hilariously fractured fairy tale, science comes to the rescue!

An author's note tells about the real Daniel Bernoulli and the Bernoulli Effect, the scientific principle named for his discovery.

In this take-off on the Sleeping Beauty story, two bored boys awake before others in an enchanted castle and set off to find a handsome prince, only to end up with an ingenious inventor named Daniel Bernoulli. Includes a note on the real Bernoulli.

About the Author, John Manders

KATHRYN LASKY's many books for young people have received such honors as the Parents' Choice Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and a Newbery Honor citation. Her picture books include The Emperor's Old Clothes, illustrated by David Catrow; A Brilliant Streak: The Making of Mark Twain, illustrated by Barry Moser; and Marven of the Great North Woods, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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JOHN MANDERS has illustrated more than a dozen award-winning books for children, including Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine by Kathryn Lasky. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can visit his website at www.johnmanders.com.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Favorite fairy tales and songs are featured in new picture books. Science, history and fairy tale unite in Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine by Kathryn Lasky, illus. by John Manders. In this witty riff on "Sleeping Beauty," siblings Humphrey and Albert are reluctant guests at Princess Briar Rose's birthday party. "The boys' prophecy had come true: This was indeed the world's most boring party.... The princess had been cursed, and the entire court had fallen into a deep sleep." But along with inventor Daniel Bernoulli, the brothers save the day. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This story is a new version of the well-loved fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty. The main characters are two brothers, Humphrey and Albert, who wake up before everybody in the palace and set out to seek a worthy "kisser" for the princess. After much searching, they inadvertently stumble across inventor Daniel Bernoulli. They find he is anything but boring, which in their opinion is more important than being handsome. What happens next is anybody's guess. The text is accompanied by beautiful, hand-drawn, colorful illustrations. Although this story draws on the original tale of Sleeping Beauty, I found it somewhat disappointing. First of all, the story of the curse is a little different from the original, but not clearly explained. It is unclear as to why the brothers wake early and whether or not they even need someone to kiss the princess. Secondly, although the author does try to bring depth of character into consideration many of the traditional gender roles and stereotypes are upheld. My favorite part of the book was learning that, Daniel Bernoulli was a real person and that the Bernoulli Effect was named after him. It seems that a realistic account of his life might have been more interesting than a fantastical fairy tale that once again plays into the notions of ideal beauty, the perfect marriage and gender roles. On a lighter note, if one did want to use this in a classroom, it would be a good addition to a unit on fairy tales. Students could examine the various ways in which fairy tales have been retold. 2004, Harcourt, Ages 5 to 8.
—Cara Mulcahy

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Humphrey and Albert, 10 and 8 respectively, do not want to go to Princess Briar Rose's birthday party, fearing it will be-their favorite word-boring. Things look more promising when the evil fairy appears, but then the curse kicks in and they fall asleep for the requisite 100 years. The boys wake up three weeks early, however, and go hunting for a handsome prince to kiss the princess and break the spell. When they hack their way through the nettles surrounding the castle, they encounter the scientist and inventor Daniel Bernoulli, hard at work on a flying machine. With the boys' assistance, he completes the plane, flies over the nettles, and kisses the princess. Although he is not handsome, she imagines his mind, and "in that mind she saw beauty, and in his eyes she saw love." An appended author's note attempts to clear up the confusion created by the text regarding the real Bernoulli and his genuine accomplishments. This is an uncomfortable blend of reality and fantasy that simply doesn't work and will leave children with no clue as to who "this prince of science" was or why he was important. Manders's frenetic watercolor, gouache, and pencil cartoons are comic but rely so heavily on shades of brown that details often blur together. Debbie Dadey's Shooting Star: Annie Oakley (Walker, 1997) and Diane Stanley's Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter (HarperCollins, 1997) offer more satisfying mixes of fact and fancy.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.