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Summary
Summary
Tumford isn't really a terrible cat. He just has a way of finding mischief--tracking dirt into the house, knocking over breakable things, and disrupting fancy parties. But even though he feels bad, he has a hard time saying, "I'm sorry." Will the fact that his owners love him, no matter what, help Tummy say the magic words?
Author Notes
Nancy Tillman created her first book, On the Night You Were Born, to convey to children at an early and impressionable age, "You are the one and only ever you." Nancy has written and illustrated the best selling titles: The Spirit of Christmas, Wherever You are My Love Will Find You, Tumford the Terrible, The Crown on Your Head, and I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love. She also illustrated It's Time to Sleep, My Love, with Eric Metaxas.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Tumford the cat can't bring himself to apologize after he breaks dishes, tramples the garden, or knocks over paint cans. He chokes on the words, "I'm sorry," and hides to avoid saying them to his kind owners. The elderly couple love Tummy anyway. In fact, they even take him to a fair after he promises to apologize for any mess he might make. There he knocks a dish of kippers on the Village Fair Queen and hides until he realizes that saying "sorry" might make the Stoutts proud and happy. The entire crowd cheers his apology. The artwork, done in collage and paint, includes varying amounts of detail and white space, but all feature the feline. Sometimes Tumford moves about like other black-and-white cats, but in other illustrations, he strides upright wearing yellow rubber boots. Other characters are secondary, as they probably are in Tummy's self-centered universe. The rhymed couplets reinforce the same message Tillman included in earlier books: no matter what a child (or cat) does, unconditional love prevails. Those who prefer a less cloying and more nuanced look at learning to apologize might consider Samantha Berger's Martha Doesn't Say Sorry! (Little, Brown, 2009). Collections in which Tillman's previous works circulate might want this title, but others can probably pass.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Tumford exists to deliver a lesson on the importance of apologizing sincerely; with his chubby tummy and slick yellow boots, he looks as if he might have had some interesting adventures, but Tillman (On the Night You Were Born) stays on message. On the first page, Tumford claws a checked tablecloth to get to a plate of pancakes-he's always in trouble-but his owners Violet and George don't mind that so much as his inability to apologize ("In spite of the manners he often forgot,/ he would not say, 'I'm sorry,'/ Oh no, he would not."). During a trip to the fair, Tumford spills fish on the Village Fair queen and, after a fierce inner battle, resolves to do the right thing: "I'll bet you've guessed what comes next in the story./ Tumford stepped forward and said he was sorry." Extra-vivid impact is provided by photo-collage illustrations that combine winning images of Tumford (he has just the right insouciant, "I'm-not-apologizing" look) with props like teddy bears and teapots. Fans of Tillman's heart-on-her-sleeve sentimentality will be drawn to this as surely as Tumford is drawn to Twinklefish pie. Ages 3-5. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Excerpts
Excerpts
...But oh, dear and oh, my There was one small pity. Tumford, it seems, was a most stubborn kitty. In spite of the manners he often forgot He would not say, "I'm sorry." Oh, no, he would not! Excerpted from Tumford the Terrible by Nancy Tillman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.