The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

DeFelice, Cynthia

Old Granny and the Bean Thief

32 pp. | Farrar | August, 2003 | Trade ISBN 0-374-35614-9 $$16.00

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. When a sneaky thief steals Granny's beans, she heads to town to get the sheriff. Along the way she meets a snake, an alligator, a pecan, a cow patty, and a prickly cactus, each in turn asking Old Granny to "pick me up and put me in your sack. You'll be glad you did." Both the rollicking text and illustrations carry the visual humor, creating a situation that builds, and then unfolds, like the best of slapstick comedy. A tale well told.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003