Emily's Eighteen Aunts

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

Fantasy and humor make great bedfellows, and Curtis Parkinson’s
delightful tale of 18 rambunctious seniors befriending a lonely little
girl could hardly be bettered. Emily’s mother is preoccupied with a
new baby, and her friends all have kind relatives who take them on
outings or treat them to banana splits. Undaunted, Emily tacks up an ad
on the supermarket notice board: “WANTED: AN AUNT FOR EMILY. PLEASE
APPLY....”

Emily, enchanted by the “sea of smiling women” who apply for the
position, welcomes all comers. But difficulties spring up like
dandelions in June. After several disastrous outings with her new aunts,
Emily, embarrassed, doesn’t want to see them anymore. But all ends
well when Emily sees a notice at the supermarket—“WANTED: NIECE OR
NEPHEW FOR LONELY AUNTS. APPLY AT THE SENIOR CENTRE. P.S. Must be
willing to put up with all kinds of aunts”—and wants to see them
again.

Curtis Parkinson is an engineer, a sportsman, and the author of two
previous picture books. Andrea Wayne von Kцnigslцw is an art teacher
and the author of many books for children. Her brightly colored
illustrations perfectly capture the very funny disastrous outings.
Emily’s Eighteen Aunts is a satisfyingly comical fantasy for children
of all ages. Highly recommended.