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Donald #2
Donald Has a Difficulty
While Donald's mother takes a splinter out of his leg, Donald tries to think of other things, such as battles, markets, and string, in a humorous tale highlighted by the quirky, frequently macabre illustrations of Edward Gorey.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 29, 2020
I was finally able to track down a copy of this in the Openlibrary. I didn't think I could get it, so I deleted it from my Goodreads TBR. Edward Gorey is the illustrator and I wanted to be a Gorey completist.
The illustrations do not disappoint. The story is simple and sort of misses that quirky nature if Gorey wrote it, but it's still quirky. A boy is playing in the woods with trees and gets a splinter. She goes to his mother and most of the book is about removing the splinter. I don't know if children would enjoy it, I doubt they would, but I thought it amusing.
I found one more book I need, so I need to track it down. 'Donald has a..."
The best part of this book is the last page where Peter shares his correspondences with Edward or 'Ted'. He would have been a fun pen pale.
The illustrations do not disappoint. The story is simple and sort of misses that quirky nature if Gorey wrote it, but it's still quirky. A boy is playing in the woods with trees and gets a splinter. She goes to his mother and most of the book is about removing the splinter. I don't know if children would enjoy it, I doubt they would, but I thought it amusing.
I found one more book I need, so I need to track it down. 'Donald has a..."
The best part of this book is the last page where Peter shares his correspondences with Edward or 'Ted'. He would have been a fun pen pale.
January 4, 2010
This is one eerie little children's book. I am the non-squeamish one in my household which means splinter duty as well as tooth pulling, doggie leg infection draining (don't ask) and any other grossity usually falls upon me so this book really appeals to me.
I love the creepy, atmospheric drawings. The creepiest being the pillow carrying scene, followed by the alcohol on the fresh wound. Momma's intent in both cases looks a bit devious to me . . .
Recommend to creepy children everywhere.
I love the creepy, atmospheric drawings. The creepiest being the pillow carrying scene, followed by the alcohol on the fresh wound. Momma's intent in both cases looks a bit devious to me . . .
Recommend to creepy children everywhere.
February 28, 2023
Now I know all about Donald’s difficulty.
It was interesting to learn there were many more books planned. In many ways this miniseries reminds me of the Treehorn books.
As before, I enjoyed Neumeyer’s fond endnote.
It was interesting to learn there were many more books planned. In many ways this miniseries reminds me of the Treehorn books.
As before, I enjoyed Neumeyer’s fond endnote.
April 30, 2015
A strange little illustrated book from 1970. I wouldn't know what to think of it, except for the helpful afterward that contextualizes the collaboration between Neumeyer and Gorey. It explains that the concept for the Donald books comes from a Borges story--which, once you hear this, makes so much sense! Once you understand the work as having "no point except [its] own existence" you can appreciate it for the strange little thing it is--a work of art, and not necessarily a children's book, or something that is supposed to make a lot of sense. Once I had the right frame of reference, I really enjoy the art work and the intricacy and the bizarreness of it.
May 2, 2021
No I didn't read this to Squirt. (I should, though. Maybe I'll do that this evening - see how he reacts.)
The kind of book that makes me laugh my head off. It's got so many levels of enjoyment. Irony. Humour. Understated understatement. Haha. You could build an entire philosophical lecture around it.
I'm hunting up more from the series.
Of course, the illustrations are fantastic too. That goes without saying.
The kind of book that makes me laugh my head off. It's got so many levels of enjoyment. Irony. Humour. Understated understatement. Haha. You could build an entire philosophical lecture around it.
I'm hunting up more from the series.
Of course, the illustrations are fantastic too. That goes without saying.
July 6, 2022
In addition to narrating how Donald has a splinter removed from his knee, Donald Has a Difficulty comments on the power of the imagination.
Peter F. Neumeyer’s story is appropriate for small children; however, Gorey’s pictures will also be of interest for older readers because of the fictional world they represent. In addition to the size of the furniture, for instance, the absence of toys from the pictures implies that Donald lives among surroundings that were not constructed with children in mind. Moreover, the lack of variation in some of the pictures suggests that Donald’s world is one of a constrained, almost Victorian rigidity that children (and probably most adults) today would find stultifying. In a way, then, Gorey’s images allude to (and satirize) a world in which there would be few books of this type (one supposes that Donald’s reading would include works by writers like Macaulay and Carlyle, inasmuch as contemporaries like Dickens and Stevenson would have been viewed as deleterious for impressionable young minds).
Additional note: even the Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publishing Data is amusing, as it classifies this work under “Wounds, injuries—Fiction.”
Acquired Apr 3, 2010
City Lights Book Shop, London, Ontario
Peter F. Neumeyer’s story is appropriate for small children; however, Gorey’s pictures will also be of interest for older readers because of the fictional world they represent. In addition to the size of the furniture, for instance, the absence of toys from the pictures implies that Donald lives among surroundings that were not constructed with children in mind. Moreover, the lack of variation in some of the pictures suggests that Donald’s world is one of a constrained, almost Victorian rigidity that children (and probably most adults) today would find stultifying. In a way, then, Gorey’s images allude to (and satirize) a world in which there would be few books of this type (one supposes that Donald’s reading would include works by writers like Macaulay and Carlyle, inasmuch as contemporaries like Dickens and Stevenson would have been viewed as deleterious for impressionable young minds).
Additional note: even the Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publishing Data is amusing, as it classifies this work under “Wounds, injuries—Fiction.”
Acquired Apr 3, 2010
City Lights Book Shop, London, Ontario
July 3, 2012
Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer goes into so much detail about all of the conversations behind the creation of the Donald books that I just had to pick up my own copies of Donald And The... / Donald Has A Difficulty, and they are both such treasures. Any excuse to pore over Edward Gorey's marvelous illustrations, and the quirky stories by Neumeyer are just an added bonus.
May 12, 2009
Thought the story was kind of different and somewhat strange story, but since my 3 year old hates when I use hydrogen peroxide on his cuts and scrapes, it was a very fitting story that he especially related to and liked!
September 8, 2016
A simple, funny little book about a boy and his encounter with a tree, and the resulting treatment of the splinter he acquired. Lovely illustrations. I had never run across the Donald books before--a surprise treat!
June 17, 2017
not sure how Donald got the splinter in his calf, as the excellent Gorey pictures don't show all the "gory" details, but it is an entertainingly brief saga.
February 22, 2010
I spent several minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't get the pages separated so that I could read the first page.
Donald gets a splinter and his mother takes it out...maybe I should find the first Donald book, or maybe I should just admit that something are strange enough that even I don't really appreciate them.
Donald gets a splinter and his mother takes it out...maybe I should find the first Donald book, or maybe I should just admit that something are strange enough that even I don't really appreciate them.
January 30, 2008
Pretty drawings. Lame story.
February 16, 2015
This book made me laugh in a way that I can't describe. That might not be a good thing, but it made me happy at least.
January 27, 2011
Cute. Could be a useful too to help reduce children's fears of disinfectants; curious, as I don't think of Gorey as an author who helps reduce anyone's fears.
April 10, 2016
"Donald has a mother who is both kind and resourceful. When Donald has a painful encounter with a tree, his mother knows just what to do."
~front flap
What an odd little book.
~front flap
What an odd little book.
July 8, 2015
Hilariously weird and strangely adorable.
July 25, 2013
stunning.
December 24, 2022
Donald Has a Difficulty (1970) by Peter F. Neumeyer, with illustrations by Edward Gorey is a strange little book indeed. It's about a boy named Donald and how he gets a splinter in his calf and how his mother extracts it, but not before telling Donald to think of other things before she goes to work on it with a needle and tweezers. But when it's time to apply alcohol to it, Donald forgets and is in terrible pain before taking refreshments. Yep. That's about it. It was quirky, but still had Gorey's highly wonderful illustrations. Still, it was missing the murder and mayhem that I've come to love about Gorey. Maybe if the boy became infected and died from the splinter I would have rated this book higher. My rating - 3/5
November 10, 2021
This was better than the first! Gorgeous artwork as always.
March 1, 2023
Strangely fascinating. About such a universal and mundane topic.
April 19, 2023
Rereading Edward Gorey 2023. Neumeyer's text about Donald and his lovely mother, is fun, slightly formal and full of imagination. It works together very well with Gorey's drawings. Somehow, the two of them capture a beautiful moment of childhood.
March 21, 2013
Excellent & awkward story with beautiful illustrations by Edward Gorey!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews