The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth

Gr 6 Up--Feiffer's original, whimsical, black-and-white illustrations accompany the humorous text in this expanded new edition with copious insightful and extensive annotations. In an introduction that includes photos, copies of Juster's notes, early cartoons by Feiffer, quotes from interviews with the author and illustrator and many sources, Marcus presents biographical information about Juster, an architect and prankster, and Feiffer, the cartoonist and introvert. Readers will also learn about the New York publishing scene and the unique history of the publication of The Phantom Tollbooth (Random, 1961). In addition to the historical and cultural derivations of the puns, wordplay, idioms, and proverbs, the annotations provide insight into the creative process of the collaborators. Feiffer's inspired use of the same illustration for the smallest giant and the tallest midget was the result of a good-natured challenge to the artist by the author. Literary allusions to fairy tales, the works of Lewis Carroll, E. B. White, and Mark Twain and artistic allusions to Maurice Sendak, the French illustrator Gustave Dore, and Cubism are explored. Marcus further points out philosophical connections, such as "unintended consequences" and middle-class conformity, and finally compares Milo's newly gained wisdom to Voltaire's Candide. Younger readers will delight in the imaginative wordplay and absurd adventures of Milo and Tock and be informed by many of Marcus's annotations. Teens, teachers, librarians, and children's literature specialists will appreciate the extensive scholarship that brings insight to the text and illustrations as well as into the lives of the two creators.--Jackie Gropman, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library System, Fairfax, VA