Tracey Ullman Books

Tracey Ullman can't be pigeon-holed. Call her a comedienne whose Fox television show launched "The Simpsons," and you short-change her work as a pop singer, able to attract Paul McCartney to appear in her first music video, and as an actress who has appeared in movies directed by Lawrence Kasden, Robert Altman and Woody Allen. She's a comic chameleon in more ways than one, successfully working in any area she takes a mind to.

Her biggest strength is her ability to slip into a variety of characters, and in her HBO series "Tracey Takes On," from which this book is based, Ullman has created 15 women and men, each immediately recognizable and all daffy in their own way.

There's Linda Granger, the sexpot star of the 70s TV series "VIP Lounge," making a living from her residues, her autobiography ("I'm Still Here") and her line of Recovery dolls ("each one of them marks a milestone of survival in my life"); Sydney Kross, demon lawyer (motto: "You name it, we'll sue it"); Rayleen Gibson, "stuntwoman to the stars," who was raised by dingos in the Australian outback and is married to a dwarf; and gay airline steward Trevor Ayliss ("his favorite destinations remain Amsterdam, San Francisco and the Greek island of Mykonos").

With them, Ullman creates stories and incidents whose humor are rooted in character. But she doesn't stop there. "Tracey Takes On" combines series footage, scripts, essays and material created especially for the book to give the characters as much realism as they appear on the show. A lot of effort went into this book, and the result is a lovely comic gem of a book.

Great book for any cat lover

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

"Puss in Boots" has endured as a classic children's book because the story is excellent. The graphics are intricate, crisp, and clear. I read "Puss in Boots" at a Read Across America event to 50 second-graders. Most, if not all, of them had never heard of "Puss in Boots". There was shock and outcry when the Ogre shrank himself to the size of a mouse and then was eaten by Puss. They wanted to know why!!! The Ogre was a victim of his own ego - a show off. And Puss was ruthless. The childrens' imaginations and reasoning were stretched and the story gave them a lot to think about. I highly recommend "Puss in Boots".

Puss in boots is always an enjoyable tale, probably because it is so based on wit.

I really enjoyed these illustrations they are glowing and friendly, making one feel very comfortable as they turn the pages. Puss is adorable, the expressions that our fine illustrator manages to convey through his feline features are just fantastic! Time and time again I was always dissapointed when I found a page that the lovely cat was not on.

A wonderful additition to any collection of books for children or lover of fairy tales.

The story of a guy that is down on his luck and broke, and all he has is a cat. Lucky for him, as this cat turns out to be rather clever. It guides him to an improvement in his station, once he realises it has intelligence.

They end up dealing with royalty, ogres, and other entertaining situations.

Facial expressions are everything in Fred Marcellino's illustrations of Puss in Boots, the famous folk tale by Charles Perrault. This book won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1991.

As a children's librarian, I always ask my audience where the story begins. Their assumption is on page one until I show them that sometimes the story begins on the cover. Children's illustrators are nothing if not creative. Look at the dust jacket--there he is, Puss looking regal in royal clothes. Now turn to the title page: Puss is seeking food on a ship in the form of unsuspecting mice. Where is this story going with two discrepant images? Page two of the double spread--Puss is going to be eaten. Look at that feline face? Eaten? Say whaaaa?

Now Puss gets boots and begins to show his new master his guiles, all the while gifting the king with the largesse of his own lands, which Puss passes off as gifts from the Marquis of Carabas, a name Puss invents for his poor master. This elaborate ruse is continued until Puss manages a marriage between the king's daughter and his Marquis, all without a hitch. Well, of course, this is a fairy tale, if you consider Puss as a kind of fairy. That is the simple straight-away of the story.

Now consider the artwork, the finest version of any I have ever seen for Puss. The poor peasant/Marquis is handsome, Puss is handsome, the princess is beautiful, the castle is gorgeous, clothing is awesome, the ogre is ugly. Look again. The artwork is reminiscent of paintings from the Renaissance when perspective was "invented" and all artwork was perfect and detailed. Is Marcellino saying that Puss was placed in a perfect setting to display his perfect skills of ledgerdemaine, so to speak?

Notice also the location of "viewer," another aspect of perspective. The viewer is always part of the action, looking up or down or around or through or under, sometimes in a humorous view or scary or bold, but always right there, almost as part of the action.

If those qualities of his artwork aren't enough, what really stands out are the facial expressions Marcellino gives his characters, especially Puss. Two standouts are the picture of Puss shouting orders to the hay cutters and his totally relaxed pose at the end when his master has married the princess and confirmed a rosy future for the two of them. Puss has de-booted, or disarmed, himself for a fully deserved rest.

Marcellino should have won the gold for this book! (David Macauley won for Black and White. OK, tough call. As much as I love Puss in Boots, I have to go with Black and White. However, my sentence stands because it makes a catchy ending.)

I bought this book for my wife and she has done nothing but rave about it. I would recommend as a gift for any comedy-loving knitter. She is especially likes the Doctor Bag pattern.

I thought Mel Clark's patterns were quite nice just the sort I'd actually wear if they were larger. To bad the majority are in the small to medium range. I'm glad I borrowed this from the library first. I'd say I'm an advanced beginner and plan on making 2 of the children's patterns and the more challenging "Doctors Bag". I've always loved Tracey Ullman and I enjoyed her writing style. If the sizing works for you I'd recommend this book.

I want to live Mel Clark's world, a world where Tracey Ullman is a "celebrity" and where women come no bigger than a 40" chest.

Some patterns are so gorgeous; The Rowena Cardigan, Gym Slip Dress, and Tropical Garden Vest are my absolute favorites. But the sizing is limited and I'm not skilled enough that I can re-write a fair isle pattern.

It's disappointing that an experienced knitter and yarn store owner can't be bothered to adjust her patterns to fit anything other than the "one size" of 36" as in the case of the Tropical Garden Vest.

There are things I wouldn't be caught dead wearing (grown up bonnet or sea anemone bag anyone? YECH!) but overall, the book has beautiful color photographs and some really nice designs that those small enough to wear will look great in.

p.s. to the person who was disappointed Tracey Ullman didn't actually "design" any patterns: be grateful! Lest you want a whole patten book full of gaudy Koigu dreads?!?!

This book is Wonderful. Modern - but not avant garde - projects that make you want to pick up your needles and GO! Most knitting books have one or two projects that really grab you, then four or five that you like but won't make because they aren't practical or wearable, and then the rest are a waste, either unoriginal, grandma-ish, or insane. The projects in this knitting book are the ones that grab you - I could make at least five of the projects for myself ten times each in ten different colors. And there're plenty of other projects that every member of your family and circle of friends would adore and actually use. While this book does have some of the staples that every book has (hat, scarf), there are enough tweaks to make them interesting and different. I absolutely hate buying a book and finding that I've paid for twenty variations of hat and scarf patterns. I may be a beginner but that doesn't mean I need to buy a pattern every time I want to make a change to what is really just a long rectangle. My one quibble is that most of the patterns use only basic stitches. Easy to knit in front of the TV but rather endless and boring. Other than that, lovely, lovely.

PS To the reviewer who complained about the needle changes: if you want to knit plain pieces on one set of needles, fine. Please don't buy a book of patterns and then complain about how they achieve the looks. Switching needles keeps the work interesting, creates depth and texture, and is often a requirement for certain stitch patterns. It seems like pure laziness to not want to switch needles - which just isn't that complicated or painful.

Knitter Beware!!
Daphne's Baby cape REQUIRES 4 skeins NOT 3 as printed in the book!!