Mabel, One and Only

Margaret Muirhead's MABEL ONE AND ONLY tells of the only kid on her block who has to rely on grownups for games. One day everyone's busy - and it's up to her and her dog Jack to think up new play ideas on their own. An exceptional acquisition, highly recommended.

As the mother of an only child, I really appreciate this story about a girl who makes her own fun in a world of busy adults. My daughter loves the funny adult characters and especially loves the picture of Mabel in her cardboard spaceship. The clever language makes this book a pleasure to read aloud. I highly recommend this lovely book!

When Larry Extraordinary, Mrs. Beadenbauble and the other usually playful grown-ups on her block are too busy, Mabel has to figure out her own fun. Not a stretch for this girl who turns the sidewalk into a superball bowling alley and travels to space inside a beat-up cardboard box. Understandably, it's only a matter of time before the grownups are begging for Mabel to come back. This book has many charms, but the whimsical text and illustrations perfectly capture the joy a child can find in her own expansive imagination as well as in the world of kind, quirky neighbors.

For parents or grandparents all too familiar with their child's complaint, "I'm bored," this is the book for you. It's a delightful story about a precocious only child discovering new ways to entertain herself when she doesn't have a playmate. Precocious or not, only child or not, all children are sure to recognize Mabel's "grown-up problem"--the frustrating times when grownups are too busy to play. And they'll be fascinated by her wonderful imagination. She can turn a cardboard box into a space module, which explodes off the page in a burst of colorful illustration, just one of many throughout the book. The "busy" grownups and Mabel's dog Jack--"who can fit three tennis balls in his mouth at once"--are also delightfully drawn. The story has a wry sense of humor that both kids and grownups will enjoy, and a perfect ending for kids who knew all along that grownups can't do without them.