The Tale of the Turnip [Hardcover]

Brian Alderson (Author), Fritz Wegner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

When a poor farmer grows a gigantic turnip and the king pays him handsomely for it, the envious town squire tries to get an even bigger reward for one of his horses.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alderson's (The Swan's Stories) retelling of a traditional English tale is seasoned with casual, homespun phrases from its opening page: "Once, a good time ago, there was an old farmer. He lived in a ramshackle cottage, with a few chickens and suchlike, and he looked after a few fields." When the farmer grows an enormous turnip, he presents it to the thrilled king, who gives the farmer a cartload of gold for the prized crop. The wealthy squire across the way, seeing his neighbor's riches, vows to upstage the farmer. The king, impressed with the squire's gift of his best horse, presents the squire with a cherished treasure: his champion turnip. Wegner's (The Better Brown Stories) cartoon illustrations depict a bustling, leafy English countryside with thatched roofs, plenty of farm animals underfoot and a host of mild, friendly-looking farmers. The final endpapers juxtapose the farmer's modest house, bags of gold stacked out front, with the squire's spacious compound, into which the turnip is being wheeled. Kids will happily root for the farmer in this tale of vegetables and just deserts. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A poor farmer plants a field of turnips, and when one of them grows especially large, he pulls it up (easily) and takes it to the king, who is so impressed that he rewards his subject with a wagon full of gold. The farmer's neighbor, an arrogant squire, decides that if one turnip is worth all that, then his finest horse must be worth much more. However, when the squire presents his gift, the king declares that " not even the crown jewels are a fit reward" for such a creature and gives him instead the champion turnip. Children will find the circularity and poetic justice of the tale pleasing. In a style reminiscent of the old-time picture-book makers like Leslie Brooke and Randolph Caldecott, Wegner packs his watercolor-and-ink drawings with detail. Unfortunately, the small size of the book is at odds with the expansive illustrations. In spite of this, readers will find this tale an agreeable and amusing choice.
Kathleen M. Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763604941
• ISBN-13: 978-0763604943
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,009,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice story, richly illustrated, June 25, 2010

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tale of the Turnip (Paperback)

Once upon a time there was a poor, but honest farmer, and when one of his turnips grew to enormous size, he took it to the king, who gave him a great reward for it. Nearby was an arrogant and greedy squire, who was very jealous indeed. This is the story of what happened to both.

This is a very nice story, with a very funny ending. The book itself is richly illustrated lots of big two-page pictures. My little one and I both really liked this book, and we highly recommend it to you and your little reader!

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny moral, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tale of the Turnip (Hardcover)

This fairy tail is about a poor old farmer who ends up growing a humongous turnip and brought the turnip to the King. Well the King found this to be a "Champion Turnip" the biggest he had ever seen. The King was delighted and gave the old farmer gold for his crop. Well the farmer's neighbor, a squire, thought this an outrage to get gold for a vegetable so he in turn brings his best horse to see the King. The horse was so beautiful and decorated in the finest harnesses. The King was so pleased with his gift that he gave the squire the most wonderful gift in his possession...A Champion Turnip.
I loved the pictures and the way this book was written. The moral the author is trying to get across is not to be greedy you will not benefit in the long run. This humorous ending was a wonderful addition to the story.
This was a wonderful story that children can learn a great deal from. The author made this book so easy and fun to read. I think that kids will want to read this story over and over again to appreciate its pictures and colorful characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tale of the Turnip, July 8, 2000

By 

Caroline (Nottingham, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tale of the Turnip (Hardcover)

I love this book. We checked it out of the library today and now I am buying one for my son and one for my niece. Great writing, fun story and well crafted pictures that have tons of substory in them. My son is two and this is a book that I think will grow with him.