Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes
By Margie Palatini; Barry Moser (Illustrator)
(Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, Hardcover, 9780689802461, 32pp.)
Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Categories: Fairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations, Legends, Myths, & Fables - Greek & Roman
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The grapes are tantalizing and juicy—and high up the tree. But don’t worry—Fox is sly and clever, and he has a plan. First, he’ll get Bear to give him a boost. Then, he’ll get Beaver to give him an oomph. He’s sure to be eating grapes in no time at all. Margie Palatini brings us a hilarious twist on the classic Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes,” and Barry Moser’s expressive illustrations are priceless.
Barry Moser has won numerous accolades for his work, including the prestigious National Book Award for Design and Illustration and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He is both an author and an artist, whose illustrations can be seen in books ranging from Voices of Ancient Egypt by Kay Winters to Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O'Connell George. Barry Moser's work is represented in collections throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Library of Congress. He lives in western Massachusetts.
"This appealing riff on the Aesop fable of “The Fox and the Grapes” is ideal for families that make a point of reading aloud at night…In “Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes,” a delightful third collaboration of author Margie Palatini and illustrator Barry Moser, the old story takes on a new texture as Fox tries to enlist one animals after another in his quest for the tasty treat…Mr. Moser’s renderings of the Fox are very funny: We see both the animal’s predatory authority and his egotistical foolishness when he is shown launching himself wildly at the grapes from various absurd locations. What really seals this picture book as a bedtime choice for children ages 4-8, though, is Ms. Palatini’s lively dialogue…In the end, as in Aesop, Fox stamps away disgruntled. But in this version, the other creatures feast cheerfully on the elusive delicacy that was, for resourceful them, always within reach."--Wall Street Journal
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