The Boy in the Drawer

Patricia Morley is a professor of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University, an associate fellow of the Simone de Beauvoir
Institute, and author of Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

The Boy in the Drawer is an amusing tale for small children (3-7) which mixes fantasy with realism and an unobtrusive moral. The tiny, troublesome boy appears when Shelley has neglected to do her jobs, and he grows taller when rebuked. He disappears temporarily when she cleans up and is finally banished altogether by hugs and kisses. “‘There,’ said Shelley, ‘now everything is definitely okay.’” Michael Martchenko’s colourful, whimsical illustrations of the Boy as a tough, red-haired waif, half-hidden by an out-sized cap, are just right for the story. Kids will love his evident relish as he spreads dirt, disorder, and confusion with a generous hand. Martchenko, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art in 1966, has won several awards for design and illustration.

Bob Munsch teaches in the Family Studies Department of the University of Guelph. His story is not only funny but non-sexist: father makes dinner.