The Devil's Storybook

I've loved this my whole life. I still like creative fables, and 'flash fiction.' And of course Babbitt is the best... these *could* be told as anecdotes, even more concisely, but then we wouldn't get the sly humor, the interesting metaphors, the hints at larger philosophies....

I dropped this on the kitchen table and, sure enough, my 20 yo son picked it up and started giggling right away, and is going to read the whole thing.

There are more ways than one to view the Devil and his works. In this collection of ten original stories, Natalie Babbitt offers us a middle-aged Old Scratch with a tender ego, proud of Hell and anxious for his reputation; a plotter at once pompous and naive who has a way of losing as often as he wins. Nothing metaphysical here--this devil, rather, has an all-too-human nature.
Some of his adventures in the World--for instance, his run-in with Walpurgis, a talking goat--are good for a laugh. Some, like the story of the clergyman who finds a demon's baby on the steps of the church, will leave readers thoughtful.

This book of thought-provoking stories, published in 1974, is a gem. Each pithy tale of the Devil, slightly portly and a little bored in Hell, tells of his forays into the World, seeking diversion and perhaps a new recruit to join him. These tales vary in length, employ simple, sturdy language, but all are dense with meaning, examining human foibles with sympathy, humor, and/or surprise. They merit re-reading and discussion. This is a slim volume of great richness, accessible to all readers. Highly recommended.

This book of thought-provoking stories, published in 1974, is a gem. Each pithy tale of the Devil, slightly portly and a little bored in Hell, tells of his forays into the World, seeking diversion and perhaps a new recruit to join him. These tales vary in length, employ simple, sturdy language, but all are dense with meaning, examining human foibles with sympathy, humor, and/or surprise. They merit re-reading and discussion. This is a slim volume of great richness, accessible to all readers. Highly recommended.

Ten little short story gems concerning the Devil himself and his inability to corrupt good souls or fully control bad ones.

I stumbled onto this (as with many older titles these days) in an sales alcove at my local library. Discarded, withdrawn, and donated books are in constant rotation, and with prices between twenty-five cents and a dollar it's impossible to resist. I'm always so surprised when I stumble on a title I haven't come across before, or an author I recognize but not the book in question. Just another one of those reminders about how much is out there to discover, how there will always be hidden gems to be mined with careful eyes.

These stories fit a type of tale that I know there is a name for, but can't quite recall. In show more each, Old Scratch has decided to adopt a disguise to trick the unsuspecting into performing an act of evil, or has co-opted the innate evil of certain individuals for his own purposes. His ruses never work, and his plans always fail, which is as it should be.

But what a delight to see such a classic form of evil as the main character in a collection. On the one hand it seems novel to take a character who is usually an antagonist and make them the butt of every joke, but then the devil always gets his due just as if he had once again been outwitted in someone else's story.

Rarely do I find story collections so even that it's hard to pick a favorite, but the one that stays most with me is the last story "The Power of Speech." In it, the Devil has a fondness for goats, and one goat in particular, but the goat is wearing a bell and this is somehow like garlic to a vampire (who knew?). The goat's owner is no dummy and will not remove the bell, so the Devil grant the goat the power to speak. What a mistake that is! A more whiny, grumpy, cantankerous goat you'd never heard! Realizing what a pain this new talking goat is she decides to remove the bell and send him on to the Devil. Once in Hell, the goats incessant chatter drives the Devil crazy, and while he is able to grant the power of speech he cannot remove it. Finally he turns the live goat into a stuffed one and returns him to his previous owner.

Babbitt writes with the breezy charm and economy that mirrors classic folk tales (and who know, perhaps these are folk tales I'm unaware of) and there's something secretly delicious in wondering if Satan's really going to finally have something go his way. They read like a cross between something Carl Sandburg might have cooked up if he were reinterpreting some Grimm tales. The characters are vivid, well drawn in such little space, and the stories feel much more full then their page counts would have you believe.

When I finished this book I thought my 11 year old would like the stories. "Oh, yeah, I already read those. They're good. I think there's a second book of Devil stories as well." Turns out she's right, there is. I had the wind taken from my sails that I couldn't spring a new-old title on her, but at least I was correct in thinking she'd enjoy it. show less

This little book of just over a hundred pages is one that I have re-read many times with great enjoyment.ten stories which show the Devil (usually) getting his come-uppance in somewhat amusing ways. delightfully illustrated by the author.

I read this book because I loved Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting. This was nothing like that.

This selection felt very juvenile in its writing style. Many of the stories felt very similar to each other.

Each selection is meant to have the reader walk away with the sense of a moral. The end product just really didn't suit me though.

If you haven't read Tuck Everlasting, I highly recommend that. If you have, rest in that. The prose of Tuck Everlasting was pure joy.