Mister Cleghorn's Seal

May 15, 2016
Grades 2-4 At loose ends after selling his shop, Mr. Cleghorn travels to the seaside to visit his cousin, whose 10-year-old son has befriended a seal pup named Charlie. After the seal's mother is killed, Mr. Cleghorn impulsively decides to take responsibility for the lovable little fellow. Traveling home in the train's baggage car is uncomfortable, and sneaking Charlie into his apartment building is challenging, but hiding him from the janitor becomes impossible. Luckily, Miss Craig, a friendly neighbor, helps Mr. Cleghorn care for Charlie and find a suitable home for him nearby. Kerr, a venerable German-born British author-illustrator, bases this short chapter book on an incident in her father's life. While the use of mainly adult characters is unusual, kids will be entertained by Mr. Cleghorn's impulse to help the seal, as well as the mishaps that spring from his attempts to do so. Kerr's quiet, satisfying narrative is illustrated on almost every page with expressive shaded-pencil drawings that capture characters and events with assurance, sensitivity, and good humor. A handsome chapter book for reading aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Recently retired newsagent Mister Cleghorn impulsively adopts Charlie, an orphaned seal pup. What follows is an adventure involving a tin bathtub, a train, lots of slippery fish, and difficult zoo politics before Charlie finds a happy home. This story is thoroughly and sweetly old-fashioned, in its reassuring narrative voice, in its olden-days setting, and in its soft-edged pencil illustrations.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)