Old Misery

by James Sage

Overview

A playful allegory about why misery exists in the world, and always will. They call her Old Misery, and for good reason, too. She’s got nothing to call her own except her cat and her apple tree, which would be something if it weren’t for all the stealing! Every day she hobbles up and down the hill to shoo away the apple thieves. So when an unexpected visitor grants her a wish in exchange for a meal, Old Misery wishes that anyone who tries to steal an apple will get stuck in her tree until she lets them go. And it does the trick — for a while — until she tries to make a deal with another surprise visitor, and learns the most miserable lesson of all: be careful what you wish for!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525301032
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

James Sage is the author of over a dozen books for children. His first book, illustrated with photographs by Robert Doisneau, was awarded a Prix d'Arles. He lives in Lincolnshire, England.

Russell Ayto has illustrated many picture books, including Whoops! and The Witch's Children series. Among his many honors are a Roald Dahl Funny Prize and two Kate Greenaway Medal nominations. Russell lives in Cornwall, England.

Editorial Reviews

The casket shape of this weird little ditty provides plenty of room for the bizarrely expansive interiors of Old Misery's home, within which Ayto's Goreyesque figures posture.—Booklist

Shelve this bonbon with Edward Gorey.—Kirkus Reviews

... packs a hefty intellectual, verbal, visual, and humorous punch!—CM Magazine

The Lemony Snicket doomsday style of writing has an old fashioned feel ...—School Library Connection

Readers who enjoy the unsettling nature of Edward Gorey stories will see similarities with this book in both the art and the themes.—Resource Links

From the Publisher

2018-02-19
A tale of trickery takes an extra left turn.Old Misery is a small, stooped, elderly woman with bug eyes, skinny limbs, a granny cap, and bulbous jowls that don't droop. She narrates: "Ain't got two pennies to rub together. Ain't got nothing except old Rutterkin here, and she's about as worthless as a dog with fleas." Rutterkin's a black cat whose head and ears form a sideways crescent. But Old Misery has one other thing: an apple tree, perched atop an exaggeratedly steep hill. Ayto's mostly black-and-white pencil drawings use lines ranging from severe and chaotic to gentle; gentlest are the fine, tiny, checkered crosshatchings that make up the hill and sky. Misery's skin is the flat white of the paper; only the apples are red, emphasizing their centrality. The tree would feed Misery "if it weren't for the wicked stealing": Children, animals, and adults, including "the local vicar looking mighty wiffy-waffy," all raid it. An archetypal stranger visits and grants a wish, allowing Misery to solve her apple problem creatively. When Mr. Death arrives, skull-faced, wearing a top hat and tails, can she best him too? Yes, but there's a second twist, enacting sweet revenge in a way that's totally accessible to the younger set.Shelve this bonbon with Edward Gorey. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews