About this item
Duckworths parents think he is a difficult child, so when a snake slides right up and swallows him whole, his parents dont believe him! Whats poor Duckworth to do?Duckworth is a difficult child. At least thats what his parents think. So when Duckworth tries to explain that a gigantic snake slithered out of his closet, his parents insist its all in his head - he is far too old to be imagining such nonsense. (And will he please do his chores?) But even when the cobra slides right up and swallows Duckworth whole, his parents remain unconvinced! (Where did he find that snake costume, and will he please put it away?) Whats poor Duckworth to do when his parents just wont listen? With nods to the deliciously dark humor of Edward Gorey, Florence Parry Heide, and Jon Klassen, Michael Sussman and Julia Sardà empathize with children everywhere who must find ways to deal with their difficult parents.
About the Author
Matt Phelan made his illustrating debut with Betty G. Birney's (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) . Since then he has illustrated many picture books and novels for young readers, including by Eileen Spinelli (Dial) , by Alice Schertle (Harcourt) , and by Susan Patron (Simon & Schuster) winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal. Matt studied film and theater in college with the goal of one day writing and directing movies. But his first love was always drawing, and the more he saw the wonderful world of children's books, the more he realized that this was the place for him. Being an illustrator is in many ways like being an actor, director, cinematographer, costumer, and set designer rolled into one. Matt writes: "I have a fascination with the decade of the 1930s. The movies were learning to talk (and in the case of King Kong, growl) , the music was beginning to swing, and the nation was thrown into tremendous turmoil. On one hand, you see a level of suffering documented in the dramatic and gritty photography of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. On the other hand, consider what the American public was flocking to see in the movie theaters: the glamour and grace of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in a series of perfect musicals. For my first book as both writer and illustrator (coming in 2009 by Candlewick Press) , I naturally gravitated to this complex decade, specifically the strange world of the Dust Bowl. "
