The Quitting Deal

by Tobi Tobias, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)

Mother and daughter vow to help each other give up respective habits--smoking and thumb-sucking.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1975

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another dollar-cart title I picked up, like Joanna Runs Away , because it was illustrated by the incomparable Trina Schart Hyman, Tobi Tobias' The Quitting Deal was originally published in 1975, is long out-of-print, and - judging by the dearth of online reviews - has largely been forgotten. I can understand why that is, as it definitely has a rather dated feel to it, but I also found it oddly charming. It's the sort of "social realism" picture-book that I particularly associate with the 1970s and early 1980s, and although I think contemporary parents might look askance at certain scenes, it still has something to tell us.

The story of Jenny, a young girl who compulsively sucks her thumb (even though the dentist says she needs to stop), and the deal she makes with her mother - if Jenny stops sucking, Mommy will stop smoking - it offers a very realistic portrait of how persistent our bad habits can be. As the mother-daughter pair try to conquer their addictions, using everything from "the Talking Cure" to "the Candy Cure," they discover that change can take a long time. With smoking - particularly around young children - having become so much less acceptable in the last thirty-five years, I think some readers today might be taken aback by the scene in which Jenny's mother drops her cigarette ash on her infant son's head (OK, I kind-of chuckled when I read that). But although one gets the sense that smoking was generally less of a "big deal" when this was written, it is still presented as a negative (hence the quitting).

Of course, since I picked this up for the artwork, the narrative interest was secondary for me. Often associated today with her fairy-tale adaptations, Trina Schart Hyman has worked on a broad range of books throughout her career, and I sometimes think that her more realistic titles get short shrift. The illustrations here - they look like pencil drawings, with red embellishment - have great appeal, with Hyman's usual expressive faces, and her appealing creatures. The family cats, who appear in many of the scenes, are particularly well done, something that will come as no surprise to the artists' fans. All in all, this was a pleasant little interlude in picture-book history, one I would recommend to those researching the genre, or to those who simply love Trina Schart Hyman.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found at a used bookstore. Trina Schart Hyman is one of my favorite illustrators. I loved this very 70's tale of a hippie mom and her 7yo daughter. Mom wants to quit smoking, the daughter to quit sucking her thumb. It's funny, sweet and true. I had to laugh at the 2 page spread of the mom smoking while she breastfed the baby and read aloud to the daughter--this is a relic of its time.

[Emma Schramm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this book for Trina’s artwork, and it did not disappoint! I found the premise and family life included in the storyline touching as well.

[Summer Cull · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quality I have found similar between most Tobi Tobias books is that they all deal with very mature and significant issues, but he addresses them in an innocent and somewhat naïve light. Jenny and her mom, Judy, both have a bad habit. For Jenny it is sucking her thumb and for Judy it is smoking. The story is from the point of view of Jenny, who despite her best efforts, cannot stop sucking her thumb. She understands how difficult quitting is and because of that feels compassion towards her mother in her efforts to quit as well. Jenny and Judy make several resolutions to quit for good, but each time they go back. The story deals with addiction and struggles to come clean, even if the addiction is hurting someone else. The only aspect I found difficult to accept in this book was that neither Jenny nor Judy are able to commit to quitting their habit. For a child reading this book, they may think that overcoming these habits are impossible.
I would use this book in my classroom to talk about making and setting goals. I would explain to my students that sometimes it can be difficult but if you stick to your resolutions, they will eventually pay off.

[Bonnie]

I found this relic on the shelf of my k-5 library. While I appreciate the artistry of the illustrations-TSH's realism is remarkable, as are all of the details that make it a time capsule back to the seventies-it's just not something I can imagine keeping in my collection, if only because of the first page spread featuring mom breast-feeding and smoking silmutaneously. Realistic, probably, as is the cocktail complete with olive balanced on the sofa arm on a later page, but not an image I want to reinforce with my students.