McFig and McFly: A Tale of Jealousy, Revenge, and Death (with a Happy Ending) by Henrik Drescher

by Henrik Drescher

From the unparalleled Henrik Drescher comes a wickedly funny story about the perils of runaway rivalry (with a happy ending).McFig lives with his daughter, Rosie, in a lovely little cottage far away from anywhere big and important. One day, McFly and his son, Anton, buy the land next door. At first McFig and McFly hit it off big-time and build McFly a cottage modeled exactly after McFig’s house. But then the two start to add things onto their houses — a medieval tower, a second-story playroom — and soon McFig and McFly are in a lifelong competition to be bigger and better than each other. Where will all their obsessive one-upmanship end?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published May 27, 2008

About the author

Henrik Drescher was born in Copenhagen and immigrated to the United States in 1967. He began a career in illustration as a young man and has been traveling throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and China, creating massive journals of notes and drawings wherever he went.

His books are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Rijks Museum in Den Haag, Netherlands. He has received numerous other honors including two awards from the Society of Illustrators.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

(with a Happy Ending) that involves
SPOILER
both the titular characters dying.

Sometimes life lessons are fatal like that, I guess.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“McFig and McFly” is illustrator Henrik Drescher’s latest children’s book and it is certainly one of his most dramatic books ever created since Simon's Book. In this tale, two neighbors named McFig and McFly started competing with each other to see who has the better house. “McFig and McFly” is a wonderful tale about how being too competitive can produce consequences for oneself, but children might be a little disturbed by the scene where a character dies.

Henrik Drescher’s illustrations are creative and childish at the same time, which is in the similar style of Gruesome Guide to World Monsters. Henrik Drescher makes McFig sport glasses and have a curly mustache and blonde hair while he makes McFly look a little more handsome than McFig by him sporting a huge eyeball that is mainly seen from the side of his face (which the reader only sees the side of McFly and we never see McFly from the front of his face). Henrik Drescher also does a great job at making McFig’s and McFly’s cottages look more surreal and rickety as the two men started adding more and more junk on top of their houses during their competition. Henrik Drescher writes this story in a surreal yet simple way as he goes into great detail at how the two men started putting more and more stuff on top of their cottages to be better than the other. Also, he describes how the two men failed to pay attention to their children’s blossoming romance and how their children wanted peace between the two men as they realized that this competition has gotten out of hand.

Parents should know that there is a death scene in this book regarding one of the characters. I will not tell you who dies since that may spoil the book for you, but parents might want to discuss the issues of death with their children first before they read this book so that they will not become too upset at the death scene in this book.

“McFig and McFly” is a wonderful book about the consequences of being over competitive with other people. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children may be a bit upset with the death theme of the book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

A veneer of feigned pleasantries can’t conceal the ceaseless, senseless competition that corrupts then consumes former friends in this deliciously absurd yet apt demonstration of misguided attention and life misspent.

You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.

[Jay Bushara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The daredevil writer and illustrator (of Hubert the Pudge, a Vegetarian Tale among other oddities) tells the story of neighboring Scotsmen caught up in a very grown-up (and foretellingly ruinous) game of architecture. The buildings themselves (complete with bungee-jumping platforms and fishbone-and-garbage-can weather vanes) are hypnotic to look at, and their builders, though tragically deluded, come off as otherwise decent and sympathetic: two guys who got carried away. Folktales can feel kind of skeletal sometimes for all of their timelessness. This reads like a classic, living and breathing and funny, as entertaining as it is wise.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, but dark with a message about being too competitive. Neighbors McFig and McFly get so drawn into their rivalry about building additions to their cottages that they miss out on much of life (including their children growing up and falling in love). This doesn't end well for either of them, though things turn out better for the next generation. Definitely has some funny moments, but some darker moments too, and ultimately a little too grown up to be a good storytime picture book. Also, the art just really isn't my taste. While not for everyone, if you've got some older picture book readers with a quirky sense of humor, they might enjoy this too.

[Cleyton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting to say the least. The illustrations of this book are very abstract and similar to something by Dr. Suess. The message this book displays is very straight forward and relatively easy to grasp. not the worst read but I probably wouldn't read it again.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A funny story, but ultimately too long for storytime.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

not his best, but ok.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see the subversive "attempt" of this story clearly but I don't have to love the book (even though I am all for subversion!). Definitely enjoyed all the details in the architecture of the two buildings and the folded out over-sized page construction and I don't even mind that the two "geezers" die pretty sadly... but is this really a subversive book -- can a story be subversive when it has a happy ending that is based on the two young people making the tombstones exactly the same size and joining the two cottages and living harmoniously with each other and their "five kids, seven guinear pigs, two surly cats, and a silly drooling dog"?

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

McFig and McFly are constantly trying to one up each other. They are trying to build the bigger house while their children look on. The illustrations are fun and a little bit different from the everyday. Ages 5+

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit twisted which is always nice!

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book with a great story / moral and nice illustrations