|
My mom read me books by Edward Eager when I was a kid. Since I
was little I have owned "Half Magic" and "Magic or Not?" I also
checked out Edward Eager's books at my public library and read them
myself. I have always loved "Half Magic," which is probably my
favorite. I actually dislike the two stories about the well: "Magic
or Not?" and "The Well-Wishers." According to a survey by a
webmaster whose page seems to have disappeared, I am not alone in
disliking those two. I'm sad about "The Unofficial Edward Eager
Page" having disappeared. There aren't that many pages about Edward
Eager. Most pages are selling his books. I am happy his books
have been reprinted by Harcourt, because I think everyone should read
them, but I don't like the illustrator they chose for the new covers.
His name is Quentin Blake, and I associate his drawings with Roald Dahl,
who I always thought was too gruesome. I prefer the original cover
illustrations, by N. M. Bodecker, the person whose illustrations appear
throughout the book. As you can see below, I'm still missing copies
of Knight's Castle and The Time Garden which feature N. M. Bodecker's
covers, and I don't have a copy of "Seven-Day Magic" at all! They
are sort-of hard to find. Used children's paperbacks aren't sold in
very many places, and finding the exact book you want when the book you
want is a children's paperback published 20 years ago isn't terribly easy.
There's always the Internet, but usually no one bothers to say who the
cover illustration is by. Oh well. If you haven't read Edward
Eager's books, check them out at the library or buy them with Quentin
Blake's covers, if you must. With the exception of the well books,
they're well worth it. Ha!
Books by Edward Eager
(O=own, R=read, E=enjoyed)
Links
|
