Oaf - Hardcover

Grade 3-5 Told with poetic simplicity, Oaf is a short fable set in the distant past which deals with an innocent eight-year-old boy's quest. The quest takes on allegorical significance as the boy journeys into the world on his own with only three gifts from his beloved aunt: a "magic" cap, the word "fifty-fifty" and the promise of a treasure. Considered to be a worthless oaf by all but his aunt, the boy attracts various animal companions who, like the Bremen Town Musicians, join together in the pilgrimage, earning each other's love and loyalty by acting according to the byword, "fifty-fifty." In solving the predicaments they face, the boy, the animals and the enslaved dwarfs that they rescue from a cruel master realize that the treasure that they had been promised was one that they possessed all alongeach other. Perhaps most like Cunningham's Onion Journey (Pantheon, 1967; o.p.), this is a richly simple tale which confronts problems of self-awareness and self-worth. Young readers will identify with this shy, bungling hero and will be comforted to recognize that all the magic they need can be found within themselves. Sis' soft pencil sketches are joyfully naive and fancifully intricate, complementing the fantasy very well. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Lib . , Ill.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.