Customer Reviews

The Devil's Storybook

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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...because the Devil herein seems almost like an ordinary person, just with an itch to make trouble and boss minor demons around. Both this and its companion volume, THE DEVIL'S OTHER STORYBOOK, were illustrated by the author; the original cover art of each shows the Devil reading the book. (He's drawn in standard Mephistopheles style, goatee, horns, tail, cloven hooves - and whenever he's shown in disguise in an individual story's illustration, the tail is visible to the reader, curled up behind his back or whatnot.)

Both books open with a stanza or two from the poet Robert Southey, "From his brimstone bed, at break of day, a-walking the Devil is gone, to look at his little snug farm of the World, and see how his stock went on." Most (but not all) the stories follow that pattern - the Devil getting bored and going out for a stroll to stir things up. He doesn't buy souls at all - he just makes trouble on his occasional visits to the world and people make their own decisions about how to handle their problems.

Most of the stories (all very short) have a kind of moral, if you look at them carefully, but Babbitt has a light touch.

"Wishes" On a dull day, 'the Devil fished around in his bag of disguises, dressed himself as a fairy godmother, and came up into the World to find someone to bother.' But the first two people he encounters are a crabby old woman and an old man who's at peace with himself - and each foils the old boy (the old lady's comeback catches even the Devil off guard). But along comes contestant #3, a foolish young man.

"The Very Pretty Lady" had many suitors, but wanted to be loved for herself - or so she said, although truth be told she enjoyed her looks and the fawning young men very much. Then the Devil got to hear of her, and figured she was just what he needed to brighten up the place, and went out to have a look at her, and set about coaxing her to join him of her own free will.

"The Harps of Heaven" - the Devil doesn't have any, and he's been stung by a nagging piano teacher's remarks about the quality of music in Hell, so when a pair of brothers who were the best thieves in the world wind up on his doorstep, he's got a little job for them.

"The Imp in the Basket" Instead of following the Devil's activities, this follows a very good man - a clergyman who tries to think well of everybody - beginning with the most severe test of his life: a little imp has been left on his doorstep, a devil's baby rather than a human one. But he knows that even the Devil was an angel once, so maybe there's hope even for this little one.

"Nuts" The Devil, like anybody else who eats walnuts, complains about the nuisance of cracking them open - then gets a bright idea about how to trick a human into doing it for him: hide a pearl inside a walnut shell, then tempt a greedy person into opening the lot looking for more pearls. But as often happens, his mischief doesn't work out the way he planned.

"A Palindrome" is a word or phrase that's the same whether spelled backward or forward. In this case, the Devil wants a particular artist - a painter whose pictures are much admired in Hell, but who's a good man - to become his #1 painter, so after the artist has produced his 40th picture, the Devil sets about making life difficult for him to tempt him away from his good life.

"Ashes" Mr. Bezzle (yes, Babbitt likes puns occasionally), a bad man 'who made a great deal of money by cheating shamefully', was cremated after he died, and his ashes on the mantel of his widow's house were just as warm as he himself was. But when a grumpy housemaid knocked the urn over and was careless about sweeping up, he couldn't understand why a pig suddenly showed up in Hell and began following him around. :)

"Perfection" The Devil (like some readers, to be honest) has gotten fed up with a goody-two-shoes little girl named Angela, and he's determined to annoy her into losing her temper a few times so she'll stop being so perfect.

"The Rose and the Minor Demon" The minor demon isn't really evil, but since he doesn't have anyplace else to go, his job is to guard the Devil's treasury - even though nobody *ever* tries to steal anything, of course. But looking at a vase painted with roses, he starts wanting to plant a garden of his own - but the Devil, of course, has strict instructions about what he's allowed to plant.

"The Power of Speech" The Devil likes an occasional pet, but in keeping with his character - in this case he wants a pet goat named Walpurgis, but the old lady who owns him belled him, because the Devil can't stand the sound of bells. Then the Devil got an idea for how to make the old lady stop wanting to protect her pet...

No matter what you call him- Devil, Scartch, Satan he certainly is interesting. Babbitt captures his contentiousness and his sense of not so fair play in these stories. Nuts is a nice turn around. Perfection- how perfect people end up with imperfect children are delights. I often tell Power of Speech- and how Walpurgis the goat reaped the consequences of talking. Most of all I love The Rose and the Minor Demon- a hauntingly beautiful story about how even devils can love something of beauty.

"The Devil's Storybook" has been a member of my book collection for several years, and since I turn to it time and time again I must recommend it. This book has the truth of life and the amusing traits of the devil and his advocates combined. This book isn't very religous, and not too scary. Your child will be laughing in no time, with your own laughter combined. A great read-aloud or read-alone. Take my advice: Read it!

The Devil's Storybook is a collection of ten short stories told in the style of classic fairytales. Some made me smile, a few made me giggle, and others made me laugh. Although the title may seem unsettling to some, and while Hell is mentioned throughout, the stories were wholesome.

Each one contained a lesson, but rather than extolling the virtues of goodness, it revealed the follies of being vainglorious, idle, a dullard, indifferent, intolerant, and a few other ill traits through the Devil's chicanery. Only a few of the stories were particularly memorable--'The Very Pretty Lady', 'The Harps in Heaven', 'The Imp in the Basket', and 'Perfection'--but they were all a pleasure to read.

A black & white illustration by Babbitt accompanied each story and although they were well done, it may not be enough to sway reluctant readers who prefer picture books, but it's great for those transitioning.

Not only would this be entertaining reading for children (some of the jokes might be lost on younger children), but it could also be a useful tool for establishing a baseline moral code.

The Devil's storybook is a touching, funny, and wonderful book. Though it has some language in it like Hell, we think it is an appropriate book for all ages. It's about a Devil who goes into the world, disguised as a fairy godmother, hobo, and towns people. Each wonderful chapter has a new setting for the Devil. Towards the beginning of the book, the Devil goes into the world and meets a beautiful lady. The Devil goes into her cabin. He reminds her of her beauty and asks her if he can take her beauty back to Hell. If you want to know what happened to her, then you'll have to read the Devil's Storybook.

Rating: Five stars

GG 5th grade students

This book full of stories will make anyone roll on the floor with laughter! Each tale in the book tells about another one of the devil's evil schemes that always end up doing people right rather than wrong, no matter how fool-proof they seem. Very well-written and thoroughly enjoyable to all ages. You will end up dying to read the second, "The Devil's Other Storybook"!

The Devil's Story Book is about a devil that disguises him self as different people every day. The Devil's Story Book has different events in every chapter about the devil doing different tasks to steal, catch, and grant wishes. We think the devils story book is mischievous, adventurous, and hilarious. We truly think you should read this book!!

The stories are extremely short, cunning, and witty - great for children and adults. Ms. Babbitt includes hilarious puns that are well placed throughout the book. The sentences are simple to read and the moral or ending of each story is amusing. My most favorite is the last one, "The Power of Speech". In general, no matter which species one belongs to - humans, animals, devils - one should always consider the consequences of one's actions and words.

I love this book! In this story a devil tries to turn hell into heaven. Like I say, try it, if you don't like it put it aside!

I LIKED IT!