BRILLIANT somebody appears to have found the TEMPLAR PUBLISHING pop-up book and since yesterday - has put up a review upon AMAZON.

The Mystery of Eatum Hall (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) [Hardcover]
John Kelly
John Kelly (Author, Illustrator)

Anyway, i can now see what MARK R wanted to do - he wanted to program ED and HELEN's children to go through the same sort of horror 'gameshow' that my grandfather GYDE and grandmother SOPHIE WYSS (not to mention MARTIN GILL and myself) had been through and he would have used that children's book to do it - at a depth conscious level. Naturally the WOLVES would have upped their game correspondingly...now that we poor 'hunted ones' had been given so many clues...you see how the ill are?

So by publicly outing what that book is really all about - I have stopped that evil FBI program from ever running again.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763625949/ref=cm_rdp_product_img

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 1-5–A

comically dense couple named Horace and Glenda Pork-Fowler (a pig and a goose, of course) receives an invitation from Dr. Hunter, the new owner of Eatum Hall, "…for a weekend of free gourmet food!" Exclamation points abound in this pun-filled excursion to an English manor that's crammed with all sorts of ominous items, including knives, axes, oil paintings of animals being devoured by wolves, and a Walter Crane portrait of Red Riding Hood. High tech mixes with an old-fashioned mystery as the food-loving couple is instructed by the absent host to partake in "…a fully automated dining experience." Robotic devices serve the Pork-Fowlers delicious meals, but observant readers will catch glimpses of other machines designed for more predatory uses. In the end, the Pork-Fowlers are saved by their own oblivious gluttony, a fitting conclusion to this delightful story. The digitally created pictures have an impressionistic quality that lends a look of unpolished spontaneity. There's beautiful use of color and exaggeration of all sorts to add atmosphere. A wealth of visual and verbal details will engage children on many levels. Clever and fun.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
A gluttonous pig and goose inadvertently foil their sinister host in an original little comedy full of visual jokes, rendered in an eye-catching film noir style.

Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler are a goose and a hog of large proportions, with appetites to match. So naturally, when they receive an invitation for a weekend of free gourmet food at Eatum Hall, Dr. Hunter's new inn, they don't hesitate to pack their bags. It's a bit curious that there's no one to greet them at the gloomy inn, and their absent owner does have an odd fondness for artwork depicting wolves. Still, the unfailingly cheerful couple are more than content to eat their way from feast to feast, disappointed only to learn that they'll miss the pie-eating festival on the day they leave. Or will they?

With graphic artwork that pops off the page, this tongue-in-cheek tale will delight readers of all ages, from fans of Wallace and Gromit and Berkeley Breathed to children who will love discovering the illustrator's many sight gags — and being in on the joke.
See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details
Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (August 19, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763625949
ISBN-13: 978-0763625948
Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
12 Reviews
5 star: (6)
4 star: (4)
3 star: (2)
2 star: (0)
1 star: (0)




Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler (an ostrich-like bird and pig, respectively) are not particularly surprised when they receive a summons in the mail.

But then, they're really not the kinds of animals to be surprised by anything. The note comes from the mysterious Mr. Hunter who recently purchased nearby Eatum Hall. In it, the two are invited to a delightful week-end of food tasting, courtesy of Mr. Hunter himself.

Ever fans of the gastronomic, the two pack their bags and head to the mysterious Hall. Once there, they find their host missing, but mechanical servants present who can attend their every whim.

Though there's something distinctly creepy about the place (the eyes in portraits follow the two everywhere, certain rooms in the home are always locked, and the bed seems to be some kind of scale) the two don't feel even a twinge of misgivings regarding their absent "friend".

It's only when Mr. Hunter's mysterious plans go a little too right that our friends return home happy (if somewhat larger) while Hunter's fate is reminiscent of the wolf in the original Grimm telling of The Three Little Pigs.

Oh, why be coy? I'll just come out and say it. He gets eaten. Baked into a pie and devoured (we can only assume) by other wolves who are last seen cutting into the large steaming dessert.

Is it a somewhat macabre ending to a somewhat macabre tale? Most certainly. Kelly and Tincknell have no qualms about foreshadowing Glenda and Horace's potential fate left right and center.

Though they cannot, sharp eyed readers will see the flit of a wolfy tail disappear out of one picture or view the two charming guests through far reaching binoculars. Hunter is never seen clearly front and center, but you have no difficulty figuring out what he's up to.

The fact that they are going to a Hall. The name of the Pork-Fowler (love the hyphen) home is Dun Fastin (ho ho!). Things of that nature.