Tumbledown

When things go wrong in the village of Tumbledown, no one fixes them. The church clock has been broken for some time, and the bell doesn't ring. When the children go to school, they have to climb over the gate, and the bridge over the stream has been washed away. But when the news comes that the Prince is passing through, the villagers get busy fixing up things: Old Grandpa Williman works on the clock, Herbert Hicks on the school gate and Bill Botchit on the bridge. The Prince wants a picture of them allin front of the still-rickety village hall! The wobbly rail collapses and everyone crashes down. The easy flow of the musical text and the overall idea of this mythic village are charming, but the premise isn't really fulfilled by the rest of the story. Corfield, with colored pencils and watercolors, creates unforgettable vistas of crumbling buildings and pebbly lanes, all basking in a spring light. Befuddled, busy villagers run hither and yon; there is action in every brush stroke and every gorgeous sweep of color. Ages 5-8. (March)