Fat & Bones: And Other Stories

by Larissa Theule, Adam S. Doyle (Illustrator)

Overview

Welcome to Bald's farm. Well, perhaps it's not Bald's farm anymore. The old man has kicked the bucket, setting off a wave of conflict from the flooded farmhouse kitchen to the muddy pig pen to the tall wheat fields. In this darkly funny, slightly supernatural chain of tales, no creature is safe. Not Leonard Grey, a spider with sophisticated tastes. Not Esmeralda, a resentful one-legged pig. Not Tulip, a plant with a mean streak. And as for Bones, the old man's son, and Fat, his winged rival? They'll learn that danger lurks in the strangest of places...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467708258
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 18 Years

About the Author

Having recently returned to the US after living six years in China, Larissa Theule resides in Pasadena, CA, with her family and dog. Once a barista, a billing assistant, and a high school teacher, she now devotes her time to writing stories and growing a rambling garden, where no fairies have been sighted—at least not yet. Fat & Bones is her first book.

Born in Boston, Adam earned his BFA at The Rhode Island School of Design and a decade later his MFA at The School of Visual Arts. He has enjoyed living for a time in Rome, Los Angeles, New York City, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. His artwork is a lifelong means of exploring which he does everyday into themes of nature, myth, and wonder.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/01/2014
In seven interconnected short stories, first-time author Theule transports readers to an isolated farm whose owner, Bald, has just died, sparking conflicts that leave nothing and no one unscathed, whether human, animal, flower, or fairy. The farmer’s cruel son, Bones, and the resident fairy, Fat, promptly set out to destroy the other, in the process cutting off the farm cat’s tail and turning Mrs. Bald (who hasn’t stopped sobbing since her husband’s death) into a “mass of skin, fingernails, and hair,” after she inadvertently drinks a “Skeleton Eraser” elixir. The sometimes-comic, sometimes-gruesome events and eerie rural setting call to mind the short-lived cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog—Theule’s is a farm where pigs whose feet haven’t been lopped off for stew mount elaborate dance numbers and where a mouse sails across a lake of Mrs. Bald’s tears to profess his love. Moments of selfishness, sacrifice, bravery, and revenge jumble together in haunting and unexpected ways, and Doyle’s lush b&w illustrations help establish an unsettling atmosphere that feels like Charlotte’s Web by way of Neil Gaiman. Ages 9–up. Author’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"This quick and entertaining tale from a first-time author tells the story of life on a farm, mostly centering on the parts no one would ever notice. The title characters are a mischievous fairy and an evil, unintelligent young man, but as each chapter unfolds many other anthropomorphized figures come to life, including a pig, a spider, some flowers, and most importantly, a cat. All these interact, some as prey and others as predator, until readers reach the humorous and satisfying conclusion. Illustrations add to the mysterious mood of each chapter. This book would be a perfect choice for teacher read-alouds, and students would clamor to read it again on their own. [Editor's Note: Available in e-book format.] Recommended."―Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

2014-08-01
Short, peculiar, inexplicable: This won't be for everyone. When Bald the farmer dies, his miserable son, Bones, is determined to get rid of Fat the fairy, who lives on the farm, once and for all. Their rivalry sets off a series of interconnected tales, each one dark and surreal and imbued with a kind of meaning, although the meaning is not always immediately apparent—and there's little to no morality on display, although there are glimmers of a very dark sense of absurdity. While there are occasional moments of kindness (a vindictive, nearly footless pig tries to ensure the prettiest pig's trotter ends up in a stew but sacrifices herself instead at the last moment; a misfit spider finds love), most of the tales are dark indeed. A lovelorn mouse sets up his rival for defeat by cat; a tulip becomes an assassin of smaller flowers; and Fat and Bones both come to nasty ends. The tales link together across the space of a single day, at the end of which peace reigns on the farm. Tonally these read a bit like folk or fairy tales, but the edges are sharp; the dark, ink-blotted design and pen-and-ink art make this an object to admire as well as read. Strange and strangely compelling, this is one of those books that needs the right reader—who will eat it up. (Short stories. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

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