Creaky Old House
Written by Linda Ashman, Illustrated by Michael Chesworth
Sterling, 2009. 978-1402744617
Reviews
“Gleefully rhyming text and freewheeling double-page art, in watercolor with ink-line details, conveys the warm, happy goofiness of a special family that comes apart and then pulls together.” —Booklist
“The clever, rhyming text bounces along with a perfect cadence. . . [R]eaders will take great pleasure in poring over the many amusing details.” —School Library Journal
“This ramshackle mess of an abode has real character and happily contains its frolicking family.” —Kirkus
About this Story
Our house is kind of old and creaky,
Porch is sloping, roof is leaky.
Windows drafty, shutters peeling.
There’s a crack across the ceiling.
Paint’s a little chipped and faded.
Might say it’s dilapidated.
Still, each one of us–all nine–
thinks the house is fine, just fine.
It’s not hard to find the inspiration for this one. First, there was Jackson’s “Bob the Builder” phase, during which he refused to leave the house without his hard hat and tool belt. Then there was the move from our 1921 English Tudor in Los Angeles to a slightly older Craftsman Bungalow in Denver. This coincided with Jack’s decision to leave his law firm and restore old homes–beginning with ours. The tools multiplied in the basement. The magazines–This Old House, American Bungalow, Old House Journal–piled up on the kitchen counter. The sound of hammers, sanders and electric saws filled my ears. The scent of sawdust, paint and wood-stripper filled my nose. Thoughts of “be careful what you wish for” filled my head.
Despite the constant maintenance, I love old houses–the character, the details, the sense of strong endurance. And, of course, the history–written in the layers of paint and wallpaper, the worn floorboards, the secret compartment by the fireplace, the milk door at the back. If only they could speak–the stories they could tell about changing times and the families who’ve come and gone.
My thanks to Meredith Mundy, editor extraordinaire, for helping me tell this family’s story–in particular, for encouraging me to write a bit more about their attachment to their house in the first few pages. And many thanks to Michael Chesworth for his wonderful depiction of this wacky family, the chaotic chain of events, and, especially, the charm of their creaky old house.
Illustrations copyright 2013 by Michael Chesworth. Sterling Publishing.