Ivy L. Wallace (1915–2006)

Pookie, that little white-furred rabbit with gossamer rainbow wings, whose story began in the eponymous Pookie, and then continued in Pookie and the Gypsies, returns in this third picture-book devoted to his adventures. When the first storm of winter leaves some of the residents of Bluebell Wood homeless, Pookie and his little girl, Belinda, work to help them out. Worried that the cold season will continue to harm his friends, Pookie confronts Winter, telling him he is cruel, and demanding that he go away. When Winter complies, the animals of Bluebell Wood are happy at first, but soon discover that they need the coldest season. Determined to put the world right again, Pookie sets out on a quest to find Winter, and ask him to return...

After finding author/illustrator Ivy L. Wallace's first story about this winged rabbit just charming, and then having some mixed reactions to her second (largely because of the themes), I was pleased to discover that I enjoyed Pookie Puts the World Right a great deal. The seasonal and naturalistic ideas explored here - the importance of all the seasons for the natural world, and not just the mild ones; the role of instinct in leading animals to prepare for winter - were interesting. Although I don't know that I would agree with the seeming implication that animals who are harmed by storms have themselves to blame - while it's true that the characters who are harmed here made poor choices, sometimes storms are wild enough to do damage, even to those animals (and people!) who have prepared as they should - I still thought the discussion of instinct, between Pookie and Winter, was fascinating. The artwork was, as expected, delightful, with Pookie himself as adorable as ever, and the woodland animals likewise. The personification of Winter, in one scene, with his gray, ethereal body, and long, icicle-like fingers and nose, provided an interestingly eerie counter-balance, visually speaking.

All in all, this was an appealing follow-up to the earlier books about Pookie and his adventures, one I would recommend to those readers who have enjoyed other stories about this character, as well as to those who appreciate vintage picture-books, or fairy-tales featuring animals and other fantastical little creatures.… (mais)

Pookie, that little white rabbit with the rainbow wings whose story began in the eponymous Pookie, returns in this second picture-book devoted to his adventures. Waking up early one morning, before his human girl, Belinda, had awakened, Pookie set out on an adventure, flying beyond the wood where he now lived. Alighting upon a tree, he met Tunkey, a monkey who belonged to a band of gypsies, and who performed in their traveling circus. Captured by the gypsies himself, Pookie was also made to perform, providing an unexpected act with his flight. But his distress and sadness made his wings shrink - just as love made them grow - and Pookie was soon in danger of being turned into stew. Fortunately, with the help of Tunkey, his cage-mate Getup - a stuffed giraffe separated from his beloved boy owner - Getup's stuffed-zebra friend Stripey, and a mute mouse named Kinker, Pookie was soon free again, and home with his beloved Belinda...

Published in 1947, the year after the first book, Pookie and the Gypsies didn't quite measure up to its predecessor in my estimation, either in story-line or in artwork. I did find the latter charming - thus my three stars, rather than the two I would have given the story alone - but the real and stuffed animals of the gypsies' circus, and the gypsies themselves, were not as appealing as the woodland creatures, both animal and magical, encountered in the first book. The story itself left me mostly indifferent - I couldn't work up much interest in Pookie's plight, being in no doubt that he would escape it - and I found the "gypsy" (Romany) sub-plot distasteful. The story of the gypsies who kidnap children (or winged rabbits, in this case) is a well-worn one, in the pages of children's literature, and Ivy Wallace's cute protagonist and sweet artwork wasn't enough to distract me from my distaste at its appearance here. I'm glad to have read this one, as I hope to read all ten of the Pookie books, but I do not strongly recommend it for its own sake. Fans of Pookie himself, or of Ivy L. Wallace's artwork, might want to take a look, but others can safely give it a miss.… (mais)

Pookie, a little white rabbit with soft ears, big blue eyes, a lovable smile and gossamer rainbow wings, goes searching for his fortune in this delightful original fairy-tale, long something of a cult classic in its native Britain. Determining that he does not belong with the fairies who dance in the woods above his childhood home, our leporine hero sets out into the world, determined to find his Fortune, which he thinks must be "a mixture of happiness, lettuce and kind words." After many adventures with goblins, elves and other animals, Pookie finds what he has been seeking with a little human girl named Belinda. Namely: love...

Originally published in 1946, and followed by nine subsequent adventures, Pookie was a childhood classic in many parts of the Anglophone world, although remaining relatively unknown here in the states. It was brought to my attention a number of years ago by a friend, but I have only now gotten around to it. Better late than never, as I found it simply adorable. The story is immensely engaging, combining an exciting quest-type adventure with a heartwarming tale of feeling like a misfit and then finding love and acceptance. There was the occasional turn of phrase here that really caught my attention, from Pookie's endearing description of what "Fortune" must be, which made me laugh, to the narrator's statement that "cold fear flew like a wisp of thistledown into Pookie's heart," which tugged at my own heartstring. I also loved Pookie's traveling song, and found the accompanying artwork absolutely charming. Highly recommended to all picture-book readers who enjoy stories of anthropomorphic animals, fairies, and adventure. For my part, I am going to try and track down some of the other books about this character.… (mais)