Kimmel, Eric. 1998. Easy Work. Ill. by Andrew Glass. New York: Holiday House. ISBN: 0823413497
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Easy Work is a retelling of a traditional Norwegian tale of the stereotypical husband-wife roles and its reversal. Mr. McTeague, who is tired of working so hard, suggests that his wife’s work at home is “easy work.” They decide to switch jobs the next day. As he goes throughout the day’s chores, the refrain of “easy work” continues. He thinks he has solved all the days problems in a smart manner by 1) wearing his wife’s dress to milk the cow, 2) tying a rope between his own leg and the cow’s as it grazes, 3) throwing the dog bacon while tying the dog’s tail to the crib of the crying baby, and 4) churning the butter by tying another rope from the churn to his other leg while rocking in a chair (whew!). Inevitably, the “easy work” ends in disaster as he falls asleep, burns down the house, loses the cow, almost loses the baby, breaks the crib, and ruins his wife’s dress. It all ends well though, as “eventually everything was set to rights.” The baby is ok, the cow comes back, and they rebuild their house.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The repeated phrase, “easy work,” never lets the reader forget the true theme of the book and works well in foreshadowing the disaster ahead. The more it is said, the more the reader sees how complicated the situation is really getting. Kimmel moves the action along swiftly with a lot of active verbs and well-placed descriptions. He focuses his writing on the action, not in overly describing the scene. Even when describing what Mrs. McTeague finds at the end of the day, verbs are crucial to the description (i.e. baby crying, cat lapping, dog gnawing). The dialogue is amusing and keeps with the time period, adding depth to the setting and humor of the story. For example, we hear Mr. McTeague use the phrases: “Jumping Jerusalem,” “Holly Hannah,” and “Golly Neds.”
Glass’s illustrations have a soft comical feel that captures the mood of the story and the time period. The cross-hatched style exudes the time period and, more importantly, the protagonist of our story because the style of artwork leaves an unfinished and harried, yet colorful, impression—just like Mr. McTeague. The expressions on the character’s faces (even on the animals) are especially well-drawn and add a lot to the humor of the book.
In the end, the lesson is taught that staying at home is not “easy work,” yet the book is not a preachy, treatise to woman’s rights. Instead, it is an amusing look at traditional roles that leads to more mutual respect all around.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
- Booklist review: “Kimmel pours a classic Norwegian folktale into an American pot, and Glass brings it to a rolling boil with dappled scenes of domestic chaos.”
- Horn Book review: “A boisterous retelling of a Norwegian tale.”
- School Library Journal review: “Glass's lively illustrations are done in a scratchy, folksy style and suit the text perfectly.”
- Two traditional songs are mentioned in the book (“Sweet Betsy from Pike” and “Little Brown Jug”). Both of these songs can be located in the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html) and played online. Familiarity with these tunes can allow the reader to sing along with Mr. McTeague.
Little Brown Jug: http://memory.loc.gov/afc/afccc/audio/a334/a3348a2.mp3
- This book is based on a Norwegian folktale by P. C. Asbjornsen (The Man Who Kept House). Other Norwegian folktales by Asbjornsen:
The Runaway Pancake. ISBN 9780883321379
The Squire’s Bride. ISBN 9780689304637
The Three Billy Goats Gruff. ISBN 9780816430802
