The Watcher

Ted McGee is an associate professor of English at St. Jerome’s
College, University of Waterloo.

Unlike most children, who are “players,” George is “a watcher,”
taking in like a sponge “TV ... cars ... trucks and big machines ...
clouds ... snow ... shoppers at the mall and birds at the bird
feeder.” Although seemingly passive (a cause of worry to his
brothers), George is deeply engaged with the world around him (a source
of delight to his mother since George reports in detail what occurred at
school). In the story’s climax, George saves the day precisely because
of the qualities that seem to set him apart from others; his apparent
liability proves to be a strength.

Because Brenda Silsbe employs an omniscient narrator who refers to
George in the third person and sets his story in the past, The Watcher
lacks some power and immediacy. In addition, the children’s dialogue
does not ring true, in part because no attempt is made to suggest their
pronunciation. Still, the story unfolds clearly, with the first half
establishing George’s character and the second half relating how he
used the information he absorbed from television and his observations to
save a schoolmate.

The illustrations, which regularly contrast children or animals doing
to George watching, follow the story closely and clarify the new respect
he wins for attentiveness. Priestley’s pictures also provide rich
examples of some of the subtleties of work with pencil crayons.
Recommended.