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32 pp.
| Farrar/Ferguson
| October, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-374-35011-6$16.99
(1)
K-3
Cole's blithe illustrations set this entertaining story in nineteenth-century New York. A tiny flat is no place for a live turkey, but Pa brings one home to fatten up for Christmas. It proves to be a noisy, scowling glutton; however, when Pa announces it's time to visit the butcher: "We can't eat Alfred!" shout the children. A brilliant solution satisfies everyone, including Alfred.
32 pp.
| Farrar
| October, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-374-32737-8$16.00
(2)
K-3
Here's a recipe for a savory tale. Take one outcast beggar girl, some selfish townspeople, and an insatiable ogre; mix in guile and bravery; steep in folkloric conventions. Cole's cadenced language and blithely energetic illustrations advance the plot and reveal subtleties of character. With the structure of a fairy tale and the freshness of an original story, this book is enticing fare.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2007
32 pp.
| Front
| October, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-932425-07-1$16.95
(2)
K-3
When three sisters stay with Granny in her blighted urban neighborhood, they are kept inside by Granny's fears. That night, in a dream world of "sails, sun, soaring and flowers and sea," the sisters vanquish the "witchy things." The nursery-rhyme-cadenced text pays homage to Sendak, while the illustrations are reminiscent of Margot Zemach, with bulbous-nosed, kind-eyed characters who are both earthy and airy.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2005
32 pp.
| Farrar
| August, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-374-34365-9$$16.00
(1)
K-3
Sprightly ink and watercolor artwork illustrates the story of Larky Mavis, who finds a peanut-shell "baby," which others declare is a worm, a mouse, even (as it grows) a dragon. When a mob converges to take away Mavis's mysterious bundle, an angel emerges from her arms and hoists her into the air, taking her who knows where. Brock Cole adds an enchanting spiritual dimension to his usual blithe farce.
32 pp.
| Farrar
| March, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-374-31001-7$$16.00
(1)
1-3
A delectable tall tale with events akin to those in the familiar English folktale, "The Three Sillies." The old man has eaten so much that his buttons burst off with enough force to propel them into the fire. Dismayed by the sight of his sagging britches, his wife puts him to bed, but their three daughters are brimming with better ideas. Cole's narrative has a humorous lilt that's as much fun as his rollicking illustrations.