By the Side of the Road | Jules Feiffer | Every Child's Secret Fantasy.....

By the Side of the Road | Jules Feiffer | The story interests children

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By the Side of the...

	By the Side of the Road Jules Feiffer Michael Di Capua Books, 2002 - 64 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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Master cartoonist and author Jules Feiffer takes a common familyscenario and plays it out to the hilarious end in his delightful, over-the-toppicture book By the Side of the Road. "'If you don't behave,' my fathersaid, 'I'm gonna pull over right here, and you can wait by the side of the roadtill we come and get you.'" Little brother Rudy decides to cooperate, whileolder brother Richard chooses to wait by the side of the road: "An hour later Iwas kind of used to it. Two hours later it was where I wanted to live." Threehours later, his family comes back for him, but he's not ready to go. He's notready the next time, either, but does accept a hamburger. And a sweater.Eventually, he is living full-time by the side of the road, aided by mother andfather only occasionally dropping by with a poncho or a snowsuit, or a house,tutor, and generator, depending upon the season. Richard's elaborate tunnelsystem for storing "secret stuff" from comic books to "bottles thrown out of carwindows" is straight out of every child's wildest dreams, as is hismock-Thoreau-style existence, free from grumpy dad and family rules (but wellstocked with computer games and other essentials).Throughout this outlandish scenario (Richard grows up and has his own family,still by the side of the road, later to be joined by his elderly parents), wethink about discipline ("The way he said it made me unlearn the lesson I wasright then in the middle of learning"), about family ("Sometimes you have tomake concessions"), about independence, about dependence ("I'm hungry and I'mcold"), about loneliness, and about self-sufficiency. Feiffer's expressive,fluid drawings capture every motion and emotion with just the right lines,making this crazy run-on picture book a rousing success. (Ages 7 and older)--Karin Snelson

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Every Child's Secret Fantasy.....

"I was fooling around in the backseat of the car with my little brother, Rudy..." So begins Richard's simple story of how he ended up living his life "by the side of the road." One thing led to another, as it usually does on a long car trip, until his father finally issued that well known and well worn ultimatum: "If you don't behave, I'm gonna pull over right here, and you can wait by the side of the road till we come and get you." But this time when his father pulled the car on to the shoulder and stopped, Richard decided to call his bluff and get out. And there he stood, by the side of the road. At first he was a little nervous, standing there. "An hour later I was kind of used to it. Two hours later it was where I wanted to live. Better than my house at least, where my mother and father were always telling me what to do." When his parents come back to take him home, he decides he likes it right where he is, and chooses to stay. As hours pass to days, then weeks, months, and eventually years, no one can convince Richard to go back home, and he makes quite a nice life for himself by the side of the road..... Jules Feiffer offers the ultimate childhood fantasy in this clever and engaging picture book. His straighforward text, with its deadpan delivery is secondary to the marvelous cartoon-like, black and white illustrations, and each page is filled with playful wit, expressive detail, and emotion. Unfortunately, Mr Feiffer goes a bit too far and too long, detailing Richard's entire roadside life, and concludes with a weak ending that detracts from an otherwise charming fantasy. Perfect for youngsters 10 and older, By The Side Of The Road is worth a read just for the artwork, and will delight kids with its intriguing, though unrealistic possibilities.

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The story interests children

When Richard won't stop goofing off with his brother in the backseat of the car, his parents leave him temporarily at the side of the road. Just to show them, he refuses to come home and builds his own living quarters beneath the ground and grows up, by the side of the road. This first person narrative uses cut-out, single and full-page pencil drawings that give a sense of earnestness to this ridiculous story and to portray Richard's new life and the story gives children a chance to think they might be able to take complete charge of their lives, even though most parents I know would bring their child kicking and screaming home.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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