Ice Cream Soup

Ice Cream Soup

Martin and Marvin decide to give their own birthday party, but they have trouble making their cake and ice cream.From Publishers WeeklyIn this further tale of the adventures of Marvin and Milton ( Tooley! Tooley! and One Zillion Valentines , among others), the boys decide they want to have a birthday party, even though their mothers have both nixed the idea. They send out invitations, and then the scruffy pair tries to make the cake and ice cream. Both projects fail, even after they've sought out expert advice from the baker, Mr. Hassenfus, and the ice cream man, Mr. Cleaver. But when the guests arrive, so do Mr. Hassenfus and Mr. Cleaver, and the day is saved for the boys by gifts of ice cream and cake. The boys work hard for their reward; in Modell's zany pictures, scenes of the party and scenes of the failed baking attempt have the same air of festivity. Goodhearted humor and a happy ending give the New Yorker cartoonist's sixth book about these characters real zing. Ages 4-up.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2 Milton and Marvin figure in another humorous holiday bookthis one about birthdays. Since no one else is going to give the boys a birthday party, they decide to throw their own and to invite everyone in town. Only after a disastrous attempt at making cake and ice cream do they seek ``expert advice.'' Luckily the baker and the ice cream dealer come to the party with the food. The plot is minimal and the dialogue spare, but humor is present in the sketchy cartoon drawings washed with bright watercolors, in the boys' attempts at party planning and cooking, and in dialogue such as: `` `Hello, Marvin,' said Mr. Hassenfus. `What's that mess you have there?' `That's Milton,' said Marvin. `I mean on the plate,' said Mr. Hassenfus.'' This answers the need for an easy reader which deals with a subject important to most small childrenbirthday parties. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Library, Ill.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.