The Turnip - Hardcover

De La Mare, Walter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0879239344 ISBN 13: 9780879239343

Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher, 1992

Synopsis

A kind but poor farmer gains a fortune and his rich brother's envy when he grows an enormous turnip

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

The lowly turnip proves far more valuable than jewels in this Grimm fairy tale, elegantly refashioned by poet de la Mare in 1927. As repayment for providing a modest meal to a traveler, a poor, kindly farmer discovers in his garden a giant turnip--"of a size and magnitude the likes of which had never been seen in the world before, not even in the island where people are all giants." He presents the remarkable vegetable to the king, who rewards the farmer's loyalty with vast riches. News of the farmer's good fortune reaches his wealthy, selfish half-brother, who determines to best his sibling; the brother sells his worldly goods to buy the king a magnificent ruby. Fully aware of the brother's motives, the king sees that he gets his just deserts. With bold, expressive paintings, Hawkes ( Lady Bugatti ) magnificently captures the parody and irony of de la Mare's unusually lyrical prose. Light-drenched artwork with themed borders cleverly accentuates the tale's good and evil elements--the brothers' stylized faces demonstrate, in equal exaggeration, wide-eyed innocence and furrowed-brow avarice. Though the story may prove overlong for the indicated audience, this is clearly a blue-ribbon vegetable. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3--The Turnip is rooted in a favorite folktale theme: a good and generous man acts kindly to a stranger, is rewarded and prospers, whereupon his grasping, greedy half-brother tries to duplicate that result by calculation and conniving--but gets his comeuppance. Besides this ``morally correct'' plot, the book offers two additional delights. The first is de la Mare's elegant and witty prose, which nevertheless keeps the robust liveliness of the vernacular (as in a neighbor's description of the turnip as ``beyond all boiling, buttering, mashing, ingogitating and consummeration''). It's a joy to read, silently or aloud. Equally appetizing are Hawkes's amusing, colorful, and stylish pictures. Blues, greens, and reds are intense and luminous; characters' faces are gently caricatured; the borders are clever and bright. This delicious Turnip is not only a savory but also a nourishing treat for young readers with taste. --Patricia Dooley, Univ . of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0879239344
• ISBN 13: 9780879239343
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hawkes Kevin