Uncle Magic

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A young girl reminisces about the visits of her Uncle Roy, a salesman who is invariably late for family gatherings, but whose flare for magic is always welcome. He can pluck a dime out of the air or a walnut from an ear, and one day he even produces a wonderful white rabbit for Jackie to pet. Then one night, when Uncle Magic is very late, Jackie discovers the rabbit (in truth a puppet) on the floor next to the bed where she had been asleep. She is devastated and thinks that Uncle Magic is a fake. When he later explains to her that she has always helped him make magic, all is forgiven. Children may recognize a beloved relative or family friend in Uncle Roy, but the text is rather pedestrian and Ray's illustrations are a bit clumsy. Added to this is the fact that Jackie looks too old to believe that a hand puppet is a real animal, even allowing that in the era pictured (women wear full aprons and men don fedoras), children were less sophisticated than they are today. This is a look back at a more innocent period, but it doesn't quite work. --Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.