Harry's Adventures in Plugovia
by GranDad David
review by Chris Kemp

GranDad David, whose real name is David J. Hills, got the idea to write Harry's Adventures in Plugovia after seeing how much his daughters, and later his grandchildren, loved his bedtime stories. The tale follows the main character, Harry, and his teddy bear, Charles Edward Bear, as they journey through Plugovia--the place where your bathwater goes. It is aimed at four- to six-year-olds according to the book's cover notes.

Plugovia clearly displays its origins in the oral storytelling tradition. At first I was put off by the fact that the tale seems to break no new ground or throw anything particularly original at the reader. However, as the story unfolded, I became more appreciative of its easy cadence and narrative rhythm, which is undoubtedly a plus for those reading it aloud. In addition, an attempt is made to ensure each chapter introduces something new and exciting, whether it be the nasty water rat pirates, the quarrelsome shrews, Ragsdale Raccoon or Sleuth, the lady toad detective who becomes Harry and Charles' friend and helper. I think the strategy of constantly adding new things is a good one--it keeps little ones interested and its mild "cliffhanger" structure makes Plugovia an effective read over a sequence of nights.

Though Hills lives in Atlanta now, he was born in England, and it's hard not to notice similarities to Kenneth Graeme's Wind in the Willows and C. S. Lewis' Narnia stories, though with a less rich, more utilitarian approach. This likely can be attributed in part to the fact that Graeme and Lewis were acclimated to pen-and-paper long before they wrote their classics, and Hills is relatively new to the art. That being said, most children in the target audience probably won't care. And any accomplished reader should find little trouble adding his or her own embellishments to the bones of the story. That's what's great about the oral tradition.

Harry's Adventures in Plugovia is filled with black-and-white drawings of the characters and episodes in the story. Artist Simon O'Rourke hails from North Wales, and the simplicity of his renderings reflect Hills' writing approach. There's just enough to engage an imagination. The reader and audience can fill in the details.

Though there are some scary parts to the book and mild violence, there's nothing more intense than, say, the fire scene in Bambi. Parents will be glad to know that Hills' heroes act ethically and are good role models, although I never felt I was being pounded over the head to be taught a series of lessons learned.

This is an interesting effort for a first-time children's author, and I'd like to see what Hills can do when he gets more acclimated to writing down his stories as opposed to orally recounting them.