Aunt Nancy is smarter than anyone, and NO one can get the best of her. What does she do with bothersome visitors? She shows them just how clever they aren’t.
Old Man Trouble thinks he can ruin her luck, but he’s codswalloped. Cousin Lazybones thinks he can trick her into doing all the work, but he’s tricked right back. Old Woeful predicts ruin for every one of Aunt Nancy’s enterprises, but she beats it when she finds out just what Aunt Nancy’s digging in her garden for. Mister Death? He just wants to do his job. Will Aunt Nancy let him? What do you think?
This slim book is composed of four hilarious stories, each one worthwhile on its own and even better in sequence. The language–a mild, drawling dialect that is evocative without being difficult to understand–carries the story along and gives it a wonderful sense of place. Because of that language, any of these tales would be excellent storytime fodder–for older children, of course; they could be either read aloud or performed sans book.
Don’t think, though, that because the text makes such excellent read-alouds that the pictures aren’t wonderful as well. Each story begins with a full-color illustration, while throughout the body of the text are smaller illustrations that are almost silhouettes–the most expressive silhouettes I have ever seen. Aunt Nancy’s cat, Ezekiel, in all of his scaredy-cat, puffball glory, nearly steals the show with his side-long glances and frantic behavior.
I recommend this book for 2nd or 3rd grade readers–those who still need shorter stories, but are experienced enough to handle a story that has fun with words, and doesn’t have textbook-perfect grammar.
Posted by: Sarah
