Lorinda Bryan Cauley

While the eponymous cock (AKA rooster), mouse and hen argue about who will do the chores and make the breakfast—much as in the famous fable of The Little Red Hen—a dastardly fox plots to kidnap them and turn them into dinner for his hungry kits in this retelling of an English folktale. Fortunately, the cleve red hen knows what to do, when she and her housemates are put into a sack. Taking advantage of the napping fox, she has each of her companions cut their way out, and replace show more themselves with a stone of their size, fooling the fox and making good their escape. Having saved them all, the hen is rewarded by her companions' new willingness to help out around the house...

Although well familiar with the American fable of The Little Red Hen, which was first recorded by Mary Mapes Dodge in 1874, in the pages of St. Nicholas Magazine, I was not aware of the story of The Cock , the Mouse and the Little Red Hen, which I think must surely be a variation of it, or at least related to it in some way. The earlier part of the tale here is very similar to that in The Little Red Hen, with the episode with the fox added in. This particular formulation of the tale apparently first appeared in 1907, in Félicité Lefèvre's illustrated book of the same name. Leaving all of that aside, I found this a fun little tale, appreciating the hen's industry and cleverness. As a fox lover, my heart ached for the hungry little kits, but of course, I was still rooting for the kidnapped friends to escape. The accompanying artwork from author/illustrator Lorinda Bryan Cauley was lovely, and greatly enhanced my reading pleasure. Recommended to all young folklore enthusiasts. show less

Author/illustrator Lorinda Bryan Cauley turns her attention to the traditional English fairy-tale of Jack and the Beanstalk in this retelling, and the result is a lovely picture book version of the classic story. The narrative here is faithful to the original, with young Jack selling his mother's cow for some magic beans, and ascending the beanstalk that grows from those beans into a land of giants in the sky. Here he successfully steals from a terrible man-eating giant three times—first a show more bag of gold, then a hen which lays golden eggs, and finally a magical harp—before defeating his enemy for good by chopping down the beanstalk, while the giant is descending in pursuit...

Published in 1983, Jack and the Beanstalk is the fourth book I have read from Cauley, following upon her The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She seems to have created quite a few folk and fairy-tale retellings, which is my primary interest in her work, although her body of picture books includes a number of more contemporary titles as well. In any case, I found this one quite engaging, enjoying both the story (despite finding Jack a bit of a scoundrel, as always) and the accompanying illustrations. The paintings here are done in oil, and are quite lovely. Recommended to young folk and fairy-tale lovers, and to anyone seeking good picture book presentations of this story. show less

I discovered this gem back in the early spring and immediately fell in love with it. I read it to my storytime...when I subbed at Tiny Tots...to my preschool visits...I lent it to Miss Pattie who read it to her toddlers...to her babies...It is Just That Good. I realized immediately we needed a copy and, in a stunning piece of providence, a copy was immediately donated!

There's no actual plot or definite narrative. The "story" is just a series of gaily dressed animals and children performing show more an unending series of delightful antics. The simple rhyming text encourages children to perform actions ranging from clapping their hands to performing somersaults.

This is my "review" of how best to use it in storytime! I start with the kids sitting on the floor, "Clap your hands," then we stand up and "stomp your feet./Shake your arms,/then take a seat." Which gets us all back to the floor. We do the next few couplets sitting on the floor, "Rub your tummy,/pat your head./Find something yellow,/find something red." For some reason, finding the colors gets more excitement than some of the later loud noises!

Some of the kids will stand up for "Reach for the sky" and so by the time we get to "Stick out your tongue/and touch your nose." it's pretty confused. I skip the couplet that calls for a kiss - some of the kids would just sit there, but a fairly large proportion of them would bury me in slobber. This works ok with babies or toddlers though, as the parents can kiss their kids who are usually more in their vicinity. I skip the tickle couplet too, for the same reason. After some rather dizzy episodes, I try to have the kids just turn around once for "Spin in a circle" and I only include the somersault if we have enough space - and if the kids are old enough for most of them to know how to do one! The excitement mounts with the animal actions and I had 20 kids yelling their names and ages simultaneously at me the last time I did it, so I would leave that one out, along with the telling a secret. Then things just go nuts with animal actions, jumping, crawling, flying, and finally waving good-bye.

I strongly recommend finishing storytime with this one; if you can get the kids calmed down and back in their places for another story after this, you're an amazing librarian and I will sit at your feet!

Verdict: A must have both for your general collection and professional collection. Happily, it's still in print! Go forth and purchase!

ISBN: 0-399-22118-2; Published January 1997 by Puffin; Borrowed from the library show less

That clever feline hero par excellence transforms the fortunes of his human in this classic French fairy-tale from the pen of Charles Perrault, retold and illustrated in this picture book version by American author/artist Lorinda Bryan Cauley. Through his many gifts, Puss in Boots convinces the king that his master, the Marquis of Carabas, is a wealthy and generous man, and when a meeting is finally arranged, the princess falls in love. Puss, who never fails to deliver, then manages to make show more the made-up fortune real, by outwitting a very wealthy ogre and claiming his castle and lands for his human...

Puss in Boots is the fifth folk/fairy-tale retelling from Cauley that I have read, following upon her Jack and the Beanstalk, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I found it quite enjoyable, and appreciated both the telling and the accompanying illustrations, which are charming. I particularly liked how Cauley captured Puss' sly expressions, in certain scenes. Although I don't think this is the equal of other versions I have read, particularly Marcia Brown's Caldecott Honor-winning Puss in Boots: A Free Translation from Charles Perrault, it is nevertheless a solidly engaging retelling. Recommended to young fairy and folktale lovers, and to any picture book readers looking for retellings of the traditional story of Puss in Boots. show less