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MY BROTHER BERT
NEW 2009
Written by Ted Hughes
Illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009
Hardcover ISBN 0-374-39982-4
SUMMARY
Pets are the hobby of my brother Bert. He used to go to school with a mouse in his shirt.
His hobby it grew, as some hobbies will, And grew and GREW and GREW until-
Oh don’t breathe a word, pretend you haven’t heard. A simply appalling thing has occurred-
The very thought makes me iller and iller:
Bert’s little sister knows that he loves to bring home pets and hide them in his room, and her curiosity about what is going on in there has been building and building. Finally she simply cannot wait any longer to check it out for herself. Inside, she discovers a zoo-worthy collection of animals tucked into every nook and cranny. But after she gets them out and about, can she undo the chaos and put everyone back in their proper places before Bert comes home?
Playful illustrations by Tracey Campbell Pearson offer a bright and funny new interpretation of Ted Hughes’s classic poem.
ALL ABOUT MY BROTHER BERT
When I first read this poem by Ted Hughes, I thought of my two brothers. They are twins and are four years older than I am (still). When we were growing up, I was sure that their “stuff” was much cooler than mine. They didn’t have a collection of wild animals hiding in their room, but they did have some great “dinky” cars and trucks! Get the inside story , early sketches and paintings.
BERT IN THE CLASSROOM
Who is Ted Hughes?
TED HUGHES (1930–1998) published numerous volumes of poetry and prose for adults and children. He was appointed Poet Laureate of England in 1984 and received the Guardian Award for Children’s Fiction in 1985. Learn more about Ted Hughes and his poetry trail.
FUN WITH BERT AND TED
Make a poetry trail
Coloring page
REVIEWS
*Some people say that poetry shouldn’t be illustrated, but that point will be harder to make once they see Pearson’s take on Hughes’ poem about a boy who keeps exotic pets. The poem on its own with its simple rhyme scheme (“His Hobby it grew, as some hobbies will / and grew and GREW and GREW until . . .”) is engaging enough but in subject not much different from a selection of books that play with the idea of animals (though, granted, not always the bandicoot) invading human living space. But when Pearson gets ahold of the words, the fun really begins. The tale’s pigtailed narrator is content enough when Bert starts off his menagerie with a mouse and bunnies, but one day he leaves the house and Sis is forced to deal with his gorilla, who has a quarrel with the grizzly bear . . . and then the lion gets involved. In watercolor paintings that fill the pages, chaos reigns as the animals—from bats to pangolins—go wild. Full of action, merriment, and wit, the pictures will occupy readers with always one more thing to see, including what the ubiquitous gray-and-white cat is up to now. Dizzying and delightful, this makes its own fun.— Ilene Cooper— *starred review, Booklist
“Just right for such a ‘house-shaking rumpus.’” —Horn Book
“The verses are buoyant and accessible and Pearson’s busy animal-filled drawings call attention to whimsical details . . . . An excellent read-aloud.” —School Library Journal
“Good fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The good-natured mayhem will propel readers to the final page.” —Publishers Weekly
