Terry Jones Fantastic Stories - Hardcover

Grade 4-9-With his usual offbeat sense of humor, Jones has written a collection of 21 tales to make readers laugh, cry, or say "huh?" The stories range from from the preachy "Forget-Me-Nuts" to the touching "Snow Baby"; and from the crafty "Cat with Two Tails" to the creepy "Old Man Try-By-Night." There's even a pointless Jurassic Park-style story, "Tom and the Dinosaur." Most of the selections are set in "once upon a time time," but the less successful tales include contemporary moralistic statements about such things as homelessness, automobiles, and demagogues. The majority of the entries are written with traditional European fairy-tale archetypes, but one story is set in Asia, and two are written in the style of Native American pourquoi tales. Foreman's watercolor vignettes reflect a palette that varies from brilliant to ethereal; while not really expanding the text, they do complement it, and the humor shines through. Fans of fractured fairy tales will enjoy reading or telling some of these stories. At times, the wit and wisdom are sophisticated, making some tales appropriate for older readers.
Cheri Estes, Dorchester Road Regional Library, Charleston, SC
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