| For Farmer Palmer
and his hired hand, Ebenezer, the return trip home from the market
is no hay ride!
"A joyous slapstick
farce . . . Two country bumpkins go from one misadventure to another,
against a backdrop of pastoral beauty." --*Starred/The Horn Book
"Rates a gross of gold
stars." --The New Yorker
"In his offhand,
poker-faced manner, Steig narrates the comically hapless journey of
porcine Farmer Palmer and his asinine hired hand Ebenezer as they
return from town, their wagon loaded with gifts for the Palmer
family." --*Starred/Booklist
Awards
ALA Notable Book
Horn Book Fanfare
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
Reviews
Booklist
In his offhand, poker-faced manner, Steig narrates the
comically hapless journey of porcine Farmer Palmer and his asinine
hired hand Ebenezer as they return from town, their wagon loaded
with gifts for the Palmer family. Their progress is variously halted
by a lightning-struck tree, a runaway wheel, and finally a sprained
left hind hock. The pig then takes up the harness, with the ass
steering. They arrive in a sorry state, but not until they have sent
readers into quiet fits over their slapstick tribulations. The text,
longer than that of most picture books, boasts some captivating and
original onomatopoeia, lending itself to reading aloud. Full-color
illustrations add action, expression, and bright, countryside colors
appropriate to the story.
School Library Journal
A slapstick rendering of the misadventures which befall Farmer
Palmer (a pig) and his hired hand Ebenezer (an ass) on their return
from market. They have to cope with a storm and a fallen tree, a
runaway wagon wheel, Ebenezer's "sprained hock," and,
finally, the total destruction of their wagon. Persistence wins out,
however, and all ends happily. Steig's pen and watercolor
illustrations are more broadly comic than those in his previous
books -- e.g., Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (S. & S.,
1969), Amos & Boris (Farrar, 1971) -- and his attention
to detail is as strong as ever. The pictures are superior to the
story, but Steig's latest offering should be as popular and it's a
good choice for reading aloud to the preschool set. |
Farmer
Palmer's Wagon Ride