I came across Harvey's Hideout on NetGalley and the first thing I sadly had to notice was, my Digital Editions didn't display the pictures and I had text only to go with. (Which has nothing to do with the book, it's just a problem which I'm confronted with since the last DE update a while back and friends of mine struggle with the same issue.)
However, reading the story I completely fell in love with it and so did my son, when I shared the delightful tale with him.

I started to look for the book online. Did I miss out on anything, not being able to see the illustrations with my ARC?
Oh yes, I actually felt deep regret not being able to fully appreciate the lovely artwork and therefore bought a hardcover copy.
What can I say? Harvey's Hideout has since become a firm favourite which I love to share with my children and preschoolers time and again.

The story is about two muskrats, little Harvey and his sister Mildred, and the two argue and fight, as siblings often do.
First Mildred is invited to a party for big girls without little brothers and Harvey doesn't understand, why he can't go along. Angry he comes up with a secret club where big sisters aren't welcome as members.
But after a while, he starts to feel very lonely. Was it really such a good idea to exclude Mildred?
What about all the good times they shared?

As mentioned before, the illustrations are very delightful. Cute and with a tender old fashioned style, they look exactly like the fairytale classics I loved dearly as a child.

Harvey's Hideout is a cleverly and masterly crafted story about sharing and caring and rivalry between siblings, beautifully enhanced with the most stunning artwork.
The book is timeless and a real gem and a keeper.

What the reader learns is that there is no clubhouse that Harvey goes to. It is a secret little place where he hangs out alone, reading comic books. And Mildred? There is no party, just her and her doll. They are both lonely.

Eventually, the siblings realize that they will have more fun if they play together.

Hoban’s story is a good reminder that sometimes siblings need a break from each other, and sometimes the best play date is with a sibling. It is important for parents and educators to remember that just as we need space to breathe, so do our children. But, as parents and educators, we can help them navigate the emotions associated with that urge to build a raft and float the river.

Parents and educators can also use this book to talk with children about getting along with their siblings. Before things get too out of hand, ala Cain and Abel, it is always good to talk with children about how to handle fights and disagreements with siblings.

Great book to read before bedtime or before nap time (for the time it takes to read).

The illustration is super sweet, happy and magical. I really enjoyed reading this book with my little girl.

Oh but the characters get SO MEAN with each other, and this story really nails, showing how heavy the “being” in angry can feel, feeling frustrated with someone close to us, and bringing it to light. Especially for a young reader, who might run into those very emotions now and then and how it can affect our happiness.

What I was especially grateful for, in reading this with my child, was that the siblings in this book found their solutions through their own journey’s, and how they worked together. No parent was there to tell them how to do it!

Sometimes we may pretend being excluded by our siblings doesn't hurt our feelings, but end in the end we make peace with one another. A great book for teaching about feelings with lovable, relatable characters..

This cute children's book focuses on sibling relationships. It's not something I would buy, but I would happily borrow it from the library and read it with our young children.

I can’t recommend this book. The gender stereotyping of Russell and hiis family is so obvious that I couldn’t get past it to enjoy the bones of the story. It’s certainly of the period in which it was written and illustrated, but it’s also tone deaf to gender depictions for contemporary parents and children.

Frances was one of my favorite characters as a child. Seeing a reissue of this 1969 book by the same author and illustrator was very exciting. I was disappointed in the names Harvey and his sister Mildred called each other. I know in this day and age we seem to sugar-coat everything. I'm sure siblings talk to each other in this manner (I don't know personally because I am an only child and have an only child), but it seems a bit harsh for young children to hear in story books. Like CHARLIE THE TRAMP, I think this "classic" should be treated as such. I'm not sure young parents who find these re-issues will understand they are not "new" books. It might be a shock to them when reading it to their children to see the huge difference in books written almost 50 years ago.

One of my favorite childhood stories was Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, which is why I was so excited to see a new book about our little Muskrat friends! It turns out that this is a reprint of the 1969 version of Harvey's Hideout. In all honesty, the pictures and the dialogue are dated and lovable little Frances was not one of the characters. The story is a cute little tale about a brother and sister's first argument. and how they resolve it in the end.

Quaint colorful illustrations help tell this story of sibling rivalry and sibling affection. Having a front row seat to sibling fights (and having been part of the action myself with my own brother when we were little, and sometimes even now :)), I found myself nodding in agreement to much in this book. Harvey and Mildred squabble and argue and go so-there on each other, but as the story progresses, discover something more beautiful – that siblings can be best friends too! The illustrations are oh-so charming and I fell in love with them, while the text though quite true to sibling-spirit, got a little repetitive (thought that can happen in real life sibling rivalry too with not-me, was-him/her, or similar).
Rating: B
Reading Level: 4 – 7 years
Reread Level: 4/5
Note: This is an old favorite originally published in 1969, that is being made available once again.
Disclaimer:Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for sending me a digital review copy of the books – Sugar and Snails and Harvey’s Hideout,. I was not compensated for my reviews. My thoughts were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal opinions formed when I read these books.

Simply a classic. The illustrations and text are ideal for the age range. I love stories about sibling relationships and this is no exception. The siblings are realistic and fight and irritate each other but they end up working together and learn to appreciate each other.

A little muskrat is making a racket while building a raft, and his sister tells him to stop it so she can write a poem. They really don’t like each other, even after Daddy’s punishment. It takes loneliness to get them to stop with the bickering.
Wow, that first page is really brightly painted! The author is very specific about the decorations of the secret den, and the illustrator made sure the visuals matched, which might be the most fun part.
So treat your siblings well. . .
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Another cute one by Hoban! I love the father's honest appraisal of his children, too funny! Kids will love this! Illustrations are wonderful!

This is a wonderful book! One of my childhood favorites that has been out of print for quite some time. I can't express my happiness that it will soon be back in print for a new generation to enjoy!
I love the sibling rivalry and disagreements between muskrats Harvey and his big sister Mildred and how in the end with a little discussion and understanding on each side they become "friends" of a kind. Classic!

When a brother and sister fight, can they overcome their differences?

Harvey Muskrat and his sister Mildred don’t always get along. In fact, Harvey thinks Mildred is a bossy loudmouth, and she thinks he’s selfish and inconsiderate.

Harvey’s Hideout is a cute story with full-color whimsical illustrations that children and adults can relate to. Harvey and Mildred go their separate ways with secret clubs and girls-only tea parties as only siblings at odds can. While their parents try to curb their name-calling to little effect, it’s an accidental discovery that reconnects the brother and sister.

The illustrations are simply precious and the story universal. This is a great read for the little ones and a sweet reminder for adults. Definitely provides opportunities for conversations with little ones. I have many fond memories of the Hobans’ books, and it’s great to see them accessible to a new generation.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. I first fell in love with Russell Hoban was Frances books. This one does not disappoint! The illustrations are timeless. Harvey and his sister have trouble compromising and getting along. When all their friends are gone over the summer, Harvey and sister pick on each other because they are lonely for their friends and do not want to admit that they need each other. In the end they learn to work together and compromise. I will be getting this book for my nephew.

4★
“‘It is my raft and nobody else’s. So, ha ha ha.’

‘That is just what I would expect from a selfish, inconsiderate, stupid, no-good little brother like you,’ said Mildred.

‘That is because you are a loudmouth, bossy, mean and rotten big sister,’ said Harvey as Mother came out on the back porch again.

‘You will both have to stop that right now,’ said Mother, ‘and your father is going to hear about it when he comes home.’”

Sound familiar? Anyone who has grown up with siblings or an extended family will recognise the back-and-forth, thrust-and-parry of childhood bickering.

[Admittedly, some people never outgrow the need to score points against others, but I digress.]

Harvey Muskrat was noisily hammering away, building a raft, outside the house where sister Mildred is trying to write a poem in peace. Thus began the complaints.

As the story progresses, Mildred packs up a pretty dress and says she’s off to a party while Harvey collects a few things and says he’s off to a private clubhouse.

Of course, neither is meeting anyone. As it happens, they have each established a lonely little burrow next door to the other some way from home. Eventually, they make up, join forces, and make a little clubhouse for the two of them.

It’s a very simple story, not particularly innovative but oh, so beautifully illustrated in full colour by Lillian Hoban. Without her illustrations these stories would not appeal as much as they do.

This is a republication of the original 1969 story, and I don’t think it has lost anything over the nearly 50 years since it first came out. I am delighted to think that today’s children can learn to understand what cooperation is with the Hoban stories. [There are plenty of adults who could benefit from reading these, but, again, I digress.]

Thanks to NetGalley and Plough Publishing for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted and for reissuing it!
#HarveysHideout #NetGalley

There is no love if siblings never fight, something is wrong there. But the most important thing is to appreciate the good in them and not to call mean spiteful things that they are not. This story says exactly the same. Story and message behind it was nice. The picture were like painting that looked cute and details in it were also fine.

Both brother and sister were like normal siblings who fight all the time and throw mean comments at each other, always trying to show one is better than the other until they were left alone. It was their stubbornness and ego that was not allowing them to play with each other and as a result, they were making up the stories.

“Mildred,” said Father Muskrat, “it is true that Harvey is selfish and inconsiderate, but he is not stupid and no-good. Mildred is loudmouthed and bossy,” Father said to Harvey, “but she is not mean and rotten.”

I laughed at their bickering when their father told to write them down 500 times that they won’t call each other those words (quoted above) and after they finished writing them they started saying the same.

I liked the end and how they discovered each other’s secret and foolishness and all those stubborn egoistic facade shattered at the end. They realized how badly they need each other and started being nice with the other. They learned their lesson at the end.

I liked how parent handled their fighting children in the book. I loved how Harvey decorated his den, he was pretty smart in the book, and the way reasons were given at the end for being alone and playing alone.

Overall, it was cute story with a message for siblings who fight all the time. Parent s would like to have this book for their children.

I have two children who did not get along very well when they were younger. Just like Harvey and Mildred, they had their own friends and did not want the other hanging around. You can tell this is a reissue from an earlier published book (1980) based on the writing of lines as a punishment. I didn't like some of the mean things they said to one another, but at the end they realize that they have each other and need to make concessions for behaviours. I did really like the illustrations, they were bright watercolour type of drawing with a lot of detail. I am not sure if I would read this book to my grandchildren or not. I have mixed feelings about it.

This classic children's book (originally published in 1969 and in the public domain) has been brought back to colorful life here. Little brother and sister muskrat don't get along and say mean things to one another. Although they start out as rivals keeping secrets--in the end the lack of other available playmates and their secrets discovered brings them together. A sweet story--especially for young siblings.

Cute story of brother and sister relationship. It reminded me of my relationship with my siblings and some of the fights we had. Loved the illustrations