I devoured this omnibus paperback edition of Treehorn Times Three from 1991, which I borrowed from the libary in a short sitting on my sunny balcony today, and couldn't stop smiling through it all. When we meet Treehorn in The Shrinking Treehorn, he's just discovered he's mysteriously shrunken when he finds he can't reach a shelf in his closet he has always managed to reach before (it's an important shelf too, since that's where he keeps his bubblegum and candy bars hidden). Then as time goes by, his clothes get too big and he has to jump out of bed when he wakes up, since his feet no longer reach the floor. When he tries to alert his parents to this mysterious occurrence, all they're able to do is tell him to sit up straight at the breakfast and dinner table. It soon becomes clear that Treehorn is a perfectly normal little boy, his main problem being that all the adults around him are too self-absorbed to listen to a word he says. In book 2, Treehorn's Treasure, his father is having money problems, and meanwhile Treehorn has discovered that the tree in their backyard is literally sprouting dollar bills, but again, no one will listen when he mentions this. In book 3, Treehorn's Wish, he discovers a genie in a bottle, and his biggest problem is to figure out what his third wish should be, after he's wasted the first two wishes on basic things like a birthday cake and candles, because everybody has forgotten it's his special day, including both parents and his supposed best friend too. It all sounds so simple just told like that, but the magic is precisely in the telling with a very funny text by Heide and those great b&w drawings by Gorey. STRONGly recommended; now I'm seriously considering investing in the more recently published Treehorn Trilogy! ( )

These books are just kind of brilliant. Gorey's illustrations match the perfect surreality of Heide's text (which would surely appeal to basically any small child who despairs of adults, i.e. all of them) and the Pomegranate Press editions are beautifully produced.

When I requested these books I had no idea how wonderful they would be! I thought I'd receive a paper pack copy of all three books made into one book. So I was happily surprised when I opened the package and found a gorgeous box set with hardback copies. I love Edward Gorey's books and illustrations, it's really awesome that these are in my collection! All three books are about Treehorn, who has interesting adventures and oblivious parents. Poor guy can't win. I wanted to get in the books and shake his parents, and throw Treehorn an amazing birthday. :) ( )

What an odd little set of stories Florence Parry Heide and Edward Gorey have collaborated to create. This three-volume set, beautifully put together and printed to last, is a pleasure to experience. Heide's matter-of-fact handling of the most fantastic occurrences is complemented by Gorey's spare, eccentric illustrations. The wry humor of Treehorn's exploits is evident from the first page, and the stranger things get, the more they are treated as natural and normal.

I don't want to read these stories too literally and miss the whimsy of them, but there's a slightly sad and detached tone here. No matter what odd thing is happening in Treehorn's world—and some very odd things happen—the adults never show any interest. They don't take him seriously, and although they hear what he says, they dismiss it and their answers reveal their own self-centered concerns.

In The Shrinking of Treehorn, Treehorn tells his mother he's shrinking; she absentmindedly says "think of that" and then worries over her cake falling. In Treehorn's Treasure, Treehorn notices that the tree outside starts growing dollar bills after he puts a dollar bill in the bole of the tree. None of the adults are interested, and it's the same when, in Treehorn's Wish, he tells every adult he encounters about the genie he has discovered. I don't want to make this into some heavy moral lesson, but the utter lack of engagement on the part of the adults is sobering. Or maybe this is just Treehorn's perception?

Still, there's a lot of whimsy here, and some delightfully absurd situations. And the deadpan humor is great (like when Treehorn fumbles his way around the fashionably darkened, fancy restaurant with a flashlight, ha!). Overall I enjoyed this little collection of matter-of-fact fantasy, and would look for more from both Heide and Gorey. ( )

I was excited to receive this package through the Early Reviewers as I had only ever come across the first Treehorn book. I was not disappointed with the rest of the trilogy. The stories are amusing in a way that will appeal to adults and children alike, and the illustrations by Edward Gorey are the perfect accompaniment. These are beautifully presented books in a sturdy slipcase reissued by Pomegranate to the usual high standard. I was sad to hear that the author, Florence Parry Heide, passed away just after this was released, but I am sure she would be pleased that her stories are still well loved. ( )