LONDON MEN AND ENGLISH MEN

Another secretive romp with the Hoban "children" (The Song in My Drum -p. 55 J 21), this time to London "forty miles or far away" during the wee hours of the morning. The journey requires preparation. Passports (recipes), a "London man hat," a balloon and a gun ("there may be whales") are collected. Baby sister comes along too, as Lady Rose Mary Rose. The mode of travel is an airplane (the bathtub) that takes them to the distant land (the kitchen) where the only sounds to be heard are "the birds and the tomatoes". When the clock in the great tower strikes, the two children depart (for school) and baby sister for some satisfying explanation in mommy's lap. The Hobans have done it again except for a few digressions in the name of sweetness. The first book, more consistent in perspective, is still the winner- though Hoban fans will find this irresistible too.