Well, it was certainly interesting. Not a perfect fit for me, but maybe that's just because I couldn't adapt to the format. No color in the drawings, and it's told in drawings, comic book panels, rather than narrative.

Although maybe it's also because I found it disturbing the parents would pay so very little attention to their son. I mean, it's their vacation too, and hovering over him wouldn't have helped him develop inner resources, but I think they could have done some little supportive thing at some point. ( )

When Hubert's parents take him on a two-week vacation, the little mouse is glad, at first, to escape the hustle and bustle of New York City. But when he discovers that the Sea View Hotel, where they will be staying on their holiday, has no other child guests with whom he can play, and that sea-bathing is out of the question due to a stinging jellyfish infestation, he soon feels rather differently. Fortunately he meets Alf, the Sea View groundskeeper and caretaker, who takes the time to talk to him, and allows him to participate in some of the activities, from pruning bushes to fishing, that make up his days. The best of all, however, is to come, as Hubie discovers that Alf is an inventor, and has been tinkering with an incredible flying machine...

Chosen as one of our August selections for The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "traveling," The Sea View Hotel is vintage James Stevenson, with all the silly situations and cartoon-style artwork one would expect. Originally published in 1978, it is entirely done in black and white - I understand that a colorized edition was released in 1994 - and features a late Victorian setting, complete with steam-engine train. All in all, a sweet little tale of a boy on vacation, finding fun in unlikely places, and having offbeat adventures. ( )