The Blabbermouths: Adapted from a German Folktale

From Publishers Weekly In this adaptation of a German folktale, a poor farmer rescues a woman put under a spell and in return is given a chest full of gold pieces. There's just one catch: he can't tell anyone about it. Though the farmer swears he's no blabbermouth, word of his newfound fortune spreads throughout his village and eventually reaches the magistrate, who accuses him of stealing the coins. In the leisurely style of oral narrative, Mantinband ( Bang, Bang, Fiddle Dee Dee ; Papa and Mama Biederbeck ) chronicles how the farmer's clever wife saves their wealth by tricking her husband into spouting tales of insane goings-on so that the chest of gold is dismissed as just another mad fantasy. Although this retelling starts out with promise, it is ultimately unsatisfying. The wife hits on the solution without a moment's pause: we miss seeing the wheels turn and sharing her exultation as she hatches her plot. As a result, she brings on her husband's "madness" too swiftly. The narrative is enhanced by Borovsky's watercolors, with the simple lines and out-of-proportion figures possessing the naive charm of Central European folk painting. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Grade 2-4-- It is indeed a lucky day for a poor farmer when he meets an old lady on his way to the forest to cut some wood. She offers him a chest of gold if he promises not to tell a soul where he got it. The farmer agrees and indignantly replies, `` `Do you think I am a blabbermouth?' '' Once home, however, he promptly tells his wife and son, and the news spreads throughout the village. Naturally, the magistrate believes the farmer to be a thief. It is only through the shrewdness of the foolish man's wife that all ends well and ``they lived happily ever after.'' Mantinband retells this familiar story with droll humor and an uncomplicated text helps the plot flow easily. Borovsky uses pastel pen-and-ink and watercolors in the flat perspective of cartooning to illustrate the tale; they complement each cleanly formatted page. A good choice for individual reading, but also as a short break for storytime in the classroom. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OHCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.