Uncle Melvin

by Daniel Pinkwater

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

30 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Daniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.

Reviews

[Michael Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a sketch of a mental patient told through the eyes of a child. For me, it is beautiful and heartbreaking.

I know that many who are mentally ill are not as docile or lively or as interesting as Melvin is. But here is a tender portrait of a gentle man with "theories" who talks to birds and wears a bowler hat to keep his ideas in until he's through with them.

Pinkwater's book tells us as much about Melvin's family as it does Melvin. Melvin is allowed to help the family care for the child, and is given space to work the garden or fix things in the basement. The boy's father his son. "I have never thought of Melvin as crazy. In many ways he is the least crazy person I know. He has his ideas -- that's all."

Pinkwater's illustrations are full of color and don't overwhelm the story. The pictures hint at being impressionistic, but are never fuzzy where details are needed.

For me, this is a sweet story. Yes, a story in that it tells a great deal about readers, building into our imaginations, and leaving us to fill in what is needed.

[Phil J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly tender story by the author of The Frankenbagel Monster and The Hoboken Chicken Emergency. Uncle Melvin has a mental illness, and he lives with the narrator's family. Uncle Melvin is skilled in crafts and gardening, but he is not able to live independently. He has strange notions about controlling the weather and the powers of his derby hat.

He believes that the President is a lizard with a human face, and this book came out in 1989.

Daniel Pinkwater did his own illustrations on this one, and he did some experiments with it. Pinkwater often draws abstract or brightly colored backgrounds, so that his foreground figures seem to be floating on the page. In this book, he used heavy, disorderly crosshatching to create oversized shadows behind his figures. It gives the story a weighty, melancholy feel and it makes the characters seem tied down.

The ending was a bit sudden, and my daughter complained that it was not as good as Irving and Muktuk: Two Bad Bears.

[Hannah Garden]

We are in Madison for Roger’s memorial service this Saturday at the temple and this morning walking the dogs I found this book in a Little Free Library and it is very good and reminds me how much I want to make little books before I die. Little funny books like this one, sweet and simple. I really want that and it’s good for me to be reminded and so I really appreciate this book for itself as well as for that little hint your can get from art like the art you want to make. (The hint is: make art.)

[Neil Troost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely sweet. Classic