A Trio of Tolerable Tales
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Three hilarious Margaret Atwood tales, together in a chapter book for the first time!
In Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes, Ramsay runs away from his revolting relatives and makes a new friend with more refined tastes.
The second tale, Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda, features Bob, who was raised by dogs, and Dorinda, who does housework for relatives who don’t like her. It is only when they become friends that they realize they can change their lives for the better.
And finally, to get her parents back, Wenda and her woodchuck companion have to outsmart Widow Wallop in Wandering Wenda and Widow Wallop’s Wunderground Washery.
Young readers will become lifelong fans of Margaret Atwood’s work and the kind of wordplay that makes these tales such rich fare, whether they are read aloud or enjoyed independently. Reminiscent of Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, these compelling tales are a lively introduction to alliteration.
Key Text Features
illustrations
humour
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Absurdist alliteration abounds in these three short stories (previously published individually as picture books) that are as imaginative as they are unusual. The title character in "Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes" wants to escape his revolting relatives. In "Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda," Bob is raised by dogs after his forgetful mother abandons him beside a beauty parlor. And in "Wandering Wenda," orphaned Wenda subsists on "wodges of wiener in the wastebin" until she's kidnapped by the evil Widow Wallop. Despite dire circumstances, all three heroes manage to outwit their captors and otherwise improve their conditions with a little help from friends, a bit of courage, and some wildly preposterous events. Atwood's young protagonists are beguiling, their foes outlandish and oafish, and their animal sidekicks endearing and kind. Petricic's black-and-white sketches add extra touches of whimsy to each outing. Readers encountering these delightfully peculiar stories for the first time will be impressed by just how far Atwood runs with the alliteration, and despite what the title suggests, these tongue-twisting tales are far better than tolerable they're truly tickling. Ages 7 10.
