Do Not Open

by Brinton Turkle

Following a storm Miss Moody and her cat find an intriguing bottle washed up on the beach. Should they ignore its "Do not open" warning?.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Cats, 1st Grade, Halloween, Monsters

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 1981

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book by author-illustrator Brinton Turkle. The title DO NOT OPEN is on the back cover, as well as front, just in case we might get any ideas. I had a lot of fun with classes discussing whether or not we should open it, and when we did, predicting what we would find.

The cover shows that Miss Moody and her cat, Captain Kidd have found something on the beach. Most children thought it was maybe a drowned mouse, since they are on the beach, and the marmalade cat is very interested in what is partially exposed in the sand.

After finally turning the cover, we discover that Miss Moody found Captain Kidd after a storm, washed up on the beach. Nearly drowned, she nursed the cat back to health and he repaid her by keeping her cottage free of mice.

Miss Moody loves storms; Captain Kidd, being a cat, naturally hates them. Late one September afternoon a storm rolls in, threatening to blow the cottage all the way to Halifax.

In the calm of the following morning, the two go collecting just as they always do. After finding a number of interesting but worthless items, they come across the cover object in the sand. Turns out it’s a bottle, with the message: DO NOT OPEN. A voice asks what Miss Moody wants more than anything in the world. What she really wants is for her banjo clock – found after a previous storm – to run properly. But she says, “None of your beeswax!” She doesn’t realize the voice is coming from the bottle until it pretends to be a child, saying it had been trapped inside by a wicked magician. Miss Moody can’t stand hearing a child cry so she pulls out the stopper in the bottle. “FREE!” roars a big, ugly creature.

Now, the illustrations are wonderful throughout, but here Turkle really pulls no “stops” in presenting a beast that grows larger with each page, while tiny Miss Moody shows no fear, and eventually manages to trick the beast. But no spoilers in this review!

While the story and the illustrations are both scary and reassuring at the same time, in the end, children learn they can control their fears.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing whatsoever like the author's Obadiah books. Here the colors are vibrant, the monster is scary, there are no children in sight. Well done and fun, except for very sensitive readers. Would *you* open a mysterious purple bottle that said "do not open" right on it??

[Bernice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this children's book. Miss Moody, the main character, is a smart, independent woman who lives in a cottage near the ocean with her cat. And she's just a little bit magical. It's a good one to share with the 4-9 age group.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Moody lives alone in a seaside cottage with her faithful cat, Captain Kidd. Miss Moody loves the big storms that bring in all kinds of random objects to her beach. One day while scavenging, she comes across a beautiful dark purple bottle that reads, "DO NOT OPEN".

Not only is this story mysterious, intriguing and just a little bit spooky, but it is brought to vivid life with gorgeous charcoal and watercolor illustrations by author Brinton Turkle. A fun scary/Halloween option for kids who are tired of the usual ghosts and pumpkins.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forever loved this book as a child and read it many times

[Jessica Floyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summery- This book is about Miss Moody who loves finding treasures that have watched up on the beach after a big storm has hit. One morning after a storm Miss Moody finds a tin box, a rug, drift wood, and a very interesting object. On the glass bottle it had "DO NOT OPEN!" Miss Moody goes against the warning and opens the bottle anyways. Do her surprise a big monster comes out and tries to scare her. Miss Moody is too smart for that, she tricks the monster into turning into a mouse so her cat Captain Kidd could kill it.

Text- This text is a little advanced for some grade levels to read on their own. I think it could be used as a read aloud for younger grade levels. Since it is a paragraph picture book, students who are in high grade levels might be able to read this book on there own.

Illustration-I felt that these illustrations were very boring and juvenile. The colors that were used were very dull and lifeless. The illustrations reflected the storyline but they didn't give anything more than that. The illustrations didn't give any excitement to the book that some book illustrations are able to bring to the book. I think good illustrations pull readers into the book just as much as the actual text does.

How Would I Use this book in my classroom- Honestly I would not use this book in my classroom. I thought the story was very generic and wash't interesting. I think I could find better books for my classroom library that will be more interesting than this one.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman lives by the sea with her cat, Captain Kidd. The Captain earns his keep by keeping the woman's house free of mice.

The woman regularly goes down to the beach at low tide to see what kind of treasures have been left on shore. She uses her findings to furnish her house. So far her best find is a banjo clock, which is in perfect condition except for the fact that it doesn't work.

One day the woman and Captain Kidd are down at the shore and she finds a strange bottle, on which is written "Do Not Open." A child's voice beseeches her from inside the bottle to please open it and set the child free. In return for release, the child offers to grant the woman a wish.

When she opens the bottle, it's not a child that comes out, but an evil spirit, of course. The evil thing gets bigger and scarier by the minute, but the woman is undaunted. She taunts the monster, revealing that she's not afraid of anything but tiny little mice.

The monster promptly turns into a mouse and is in turn caught and swallowed by the cat. Captain Kidd and the woman walk back to their seaside home to the sound of the chiming of the magically repaired banjo clock.

The story is clever and wraps up neatly, and the jewel-toned, detailed illustrations put it over the top. I love the illustrations in this book!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Not Open was an interesting children’s picture book mixing mystery and magic with the tale of a old woman who loves treasurer hunting on the beach. The pictures seemed a bit faded, but the creativity is not lacking. The images seem to jump off the pages and the monster that emerges from the mysteriously marked bottle is enough to frighten any small child. I enjoyed watching the illustrations morph and children will let their imagination run wild as they turn each page. The colors could have been brighter, but the artistic drawing elements where present. I thought the content of the story had a “fableish” feel to it and thought that the cat played a very valuable role in the story. Miss Moody loved her found cat, Captain Kidd, and as a reader it is important to see the connection between them. The attachment children have with their pets can show through in this story as well. I enjoy this classic tale and I hope to share it with an older elementary audience.

[Emily Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do Not Open is a story about Miss Moody and her companion Captain Kidd, the cat that was always by her side. They were complete opposites, which benefited one another. Miss Moody disliked mice so the cat killed them. However, the cat disliked storms so Miss Moody comfortable the cat when it was scared. After a storm they went to the beach to find treasure where Miss Moody found a bottle that said DO NOT OPEN. She ignored the label and opened it anyway and a giant figured appear. With the cat my her side they could accomplice anything. Miss Moody turned the massive figure into a mice and had the cat hunt in down and killed the evil creature. These two were the perfect team that were always their for one another.

In the illustrations the cat never left Mis Moody ‘s side showing how dependent they were for one another. This symbolized their friendship and how they needed one another.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book about a woman named Miss Woody who rescued a cat from a beach storm one day, and he has been loyal to her since. Every morning after a storm hits the beach she lives on, she'll go out and search for items that washed up onto the shore.
From a pretty box to firewood to a rug, Miss Woody collects everything nice she finds on that beach, and most of what is in her house is from there.
But then she finds a dark bottle that says "Do Not Open" on one side. Should she open it anyway?

[Meghan Erena]

This storybook surprised me! I was not expecting the illustrations and story line to be so frightening. This story kept me interested and had some opportunities to involve students by asking, "Should she open it?", or figuring out how she can get rid of the monster. This book quickly turns from a sweet story of a woman and her loyal cat collecting things on a beach to a horror story that could scare young readers. Over all, it is an interesting book that, with the suspense, will hold the attention of readers.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Picture Book) I had heard the basic of this story before: An old woman finds a bottle labeled "Do Not Open", but when a child's voice comes from inside and says she is trapped, the old woman opens the bottle anyways. Then, she tricks the monster that escapes into turning into a mouse which her pet cat quickly gobbles down. I've liked other versions I've heard of better: this version makes it seem more like an accident that she tricked the monster, rather than her own wit.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about a woman who lives alone with her cat in a house on the beach. She gathers things that wash up after storms. She finds a bottle. She thinks a child is inside, so she opens it and it turns out to be an evil monster. Then the author copied off of "Puss in Boots"--she gets rid of the monster by tricking it to turn into a mouse and her cat eats it.

[Melle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book about an older woman, Miss Moody, who lives with her orange tabby, Captain Kidd, and finds stuff on a beach and ends up releasing a bad creature trapped in a bottle. Spoiler alert: cat saves the day. Fun story, cute cat, cool treasures, and beautiful illustrations that evoke sun, sea, and sand.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Moody lives in a beach house with her cat, Captain Kidd. She loves storms because of all the treasure that washes up on the beach. One day as she is treasure-hunting, she finds a purple bottle that has the words Do Not Open scratched on the side. A voice begs her to open the bottle and when she does, a horrible monster emerges. But Miss Moody’s uses her wits to get rid of it.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen of Our Favorites - This book is about a wish that comes true at the end of the book. Prediction would be great for this book because it is uncertain what is going to happen. It has a surprise ending.

[Alnora]

This book is full of little surprises. I would love to read it when talking about the beach. It'd also be fun to have a show-and-tell with kids presenting their own personal "treasure boxes" with things they treasure, such as collections, etc.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a fun read aloud book. It may be too scary for some children because of what they find when they do open it. It is also a good problem solving book. It could introduce a problem-solving unit.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just had to include some favorite scary books from childhood. Do Not Open has SUCH evocative pictures, and it's a great outwitting-the-enemy tale. Warning to parents of little kids: one of the pictures is really scary (to me still!).

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Moody and her cat, Captain Kidd live by the sea. One day the cat discovers a dark purple bottle in the sand. A voice asks for them to release the stopper from the bottle. There is a reason not to open the bottle.

[Cindy Pardew]

Old woman found a bottle on the beach after a storm that says, "do not open." By opening it she releases a geni who she tricked.

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want to read this book aloud some time to some younger aged kids in a classroom. Very cleaver story.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story, but it was a fun book. I liked the illustrations of the monster.

[Larysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book was colorful and had a fun story. The ending is not what you would expect, and it is interesting to see what the characters do.

[Rebecca Ferguson]

This book tells the story of Miss Moody finding a bottle washed up to shore. The bottle says "Do Not Open," thus Miss Moody has to decide what to do. (Picture book)

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book for kids. Great artwork.

[Inna Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think she is strong as she try to be at peace , even if hard times have come. The pictures of the creature is so vivid that it even made me scared to see the creature!

[Karen Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first introduced to this book in 1989 when I had to read aloud to an elementary school class. Before this book, I thought picture books were for 2nd graders or younger. This book converted me to the power of picture books because of both it's powerful story and it's beautiful pictures. This is one of my favourite read-alouds because it is so fun to do the various voices of good, evil, and innocence.

[Lindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never forget reading this to my young niece. . . Over and over again. When we came to the page where we are asked if Miss Moody should open the bottle, little Ali, eyes big as saucers would nod nervously every time. She knew what scary pictures were coming but those delicious shivers were worth it. Excellent “scary” story for the very youngest children.

[Christian Abrigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Do Not Open" by Brinton Turkle is a very compelling children's book. The book is filled with choices and possibilities to test the main characters. They are faced with objects that say "Do Not Open" and if they open it they don't know what's going to happen. It's not the happiest children's book, but it was very good and it's also smart for kids to realize their actions have consequences.