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Eleventh Hour Review

If the world were keeping track it would know that my wife has probably set some kind of record for reading to children (our five kids). Rarely do I get a turn to read but whenever I do, I often choose this book. The kids (and most reviewers) are captivated by the amazing artwork while I am more impressed with the sophisticated rhyming. Call me simple but I love good rhyming. At the risk of getting into trouble for sharing this, here is an example of the excellent rhyming from one of my favorite pages:

The Zebra said, 'It wasn't I!
By All my Stripes, I'd rather die!'
The Tiger said, 'It wasn't me!
I've far too much integrity.'
Then Cora cried, 'It wasn't us!
We wouldn't dare cause such a fuss.'
And Kilroy squeaked, 'I'm far too small;
One mouse could never eat it all!'

The Swan looked darkly at the Pig,
The Thief must be someone who's big!'
But Oliver denied all guilt,
And said, 'Now Thomas, he's well built.'
The Rhino sobbed, through sniffs and tears,
'I've known our Host for years and years,
And though my appetite is large,
I must deny this dreadful charge.'

The Cat had yet to say a word,
Which Eric thought could be inferred
As Prima Facie evidence
Of Feline Guilt re this Offence.
But Alexandra lashed her tail,
'Your theories are to no avail!
We Cats do not steal others' food.
It's wicked, bad and very rude!'

The Judge was next: 'I too deny,
Although I have no alibi,
All blame for this horrendous crime...'
(He babbled on for quite some time.)
'I'm not the kind of Crocodile
To fake a tear or force a smile.
My countenance is plain to read;
My friends, I did not do this deed!'

Eleventh Hour Overview

When Horace the elephant turns eleven, he celebrates in style by inviting his exotic friends to a splendid costume party. But a mystery is afoot, for in the midst of the games, music, and revelry, someone has eaten the birthday feast! Rhyming text and detailed illustrations provide clues to help readers find out who committed the crime. Full color.

Eleventh Hour Specifications

Reading The Eleventh Hour is like running a marathon: one finishes exhausted but satisfied. Graeme Base, creator of the popular Animalia, has crafted another intricately wrought, gorgeously illustrated picture book, this time a mystery in verse. When Horace the Elephant decides to throw himself a party for his 11th birthday, he never suspects a crime will be committed by lunchtime. Who has stolen the birthday feast? As with any good mystery, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. The proof lies in the myriad clues embedded in each glorious illustration. Young sleuths will delight in decoding the complex messages that pop up in unexpected places.

Graeme Base used the buildings he saw during his travels through Africa, Asia, and Europe to design and decorate Horace's fantastic house. Astute readers may recognize Roman cathedrals, Scottish palaces, and stone carvings from India. Best of all, secreted in these walls are cryptic messages in Egyptian hieroglyphics, anagrams, and even Morse code to challenge the perceptive and deductive abilities of any reader "of tender years or long in tooth." The Eleventh Hour is a brilliant, rigorous, creative romp that no child (or adult) should miss. (All Ages)

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Customer Reviews

Hidden clues - A. Williams -
Here is a story about Horace's (an elephant) eleventh birthday party, and apparently there's a mystery to solve! The mystery isn't revealed until near the end, and the book definitely requires that you look back through it to solve the mystery.

Overall, mystery hunting aside, I enjoyed this book, the fun characters, and the whimsical, jam-packed illustrations! For a rhyming book, the rhymes were really pretty good! I didn't find myself tripping over the rhythm or words hardly at all!

For the mystery, well, I didn't read the entirety of the solutions, but I skimmed to figure out how the puzzles where to be solved. My only gripe was that the end note made it appear that the mystery would be easily solved by looking at the pictures, which led me to think a simple glance back through would suffice. But, for better or worse, such is not the case. These clues are definitely only going to be found by those willing to spend several hours searching and decoding, something which I probably would have loved at around 10 to my tweens. There's bound to be several hours worth of fun, but only for those who don't mind the tediousness required. But, knowing how all the clues worked into the story, I was even more impressed with the illustrations!

So, definitely a fun, creative book/hidden clues mystery! And if you like that sort of book, I think you'll love this!!

his very best - LibKat - Cape Cod, MA
All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. However, this book is his shinning accomplishment. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations. This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles.

An Early Favorite - J. Kessinger -
As a child, I read and solved this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It takes some time, but the time it took was part of the fun. Sure, there were puzzles I didn't understand and that is where my mother stepped in. Not only did I learn a lot, but it created quality time with my family, plus it was fun. Kids today are so used to having everything handed to them. They need a challenge on occasion that isn't boring schoolwork. This book gave me a love for puzzles that I still have nearly 20 years later. I still have my copy and can't wait to go through it with my son.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 03, 2010 10:30:07

Children's Books

Saturday, July 3, 2010