Heckedy Peg (A Voyager/Hbj Book) (Paperback)

by Audrey Wood (Author), Don Wood (Illustrator) "Down the dusty roads and far away, a poor mother once lived with her seven children named Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday..." (more)
Key Phrases: Heckedy Peg

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Paintings rich in atmosphere highlight this delectable tale of a witch's unusual dietary cravings and a mother's ingenious revenge. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3 This original story reads like a pure folktale. The poor mother of seven children, each named for a day of the week, goes off to market promising to return with individual gifts that each child has requested and admonishing them to lock the door to strangers and not to touch the fire. The gullible children are tricked into disobeying their mother by the witch, Heckedy Peg, who turns them all into various kinds of food. The mother can rescue her children only by guessing which child is the fish, the roast rib, the bread, etc., a trick she neatly performs by matching each kind of food with the gift that each child had requested (Monday asked for butter, so Monday is the bread, etc.). This story, deep and rich with folk wisdom, is stunningly illustrated with Don Wood's luminous paintings. He shows the countryside as a true fairy tale settingthe half-timbered village, thatched roof cottages, haymakers in the field, and the witch's hut in dark, dank woods. With variety of color and line he enhances every nuance of the text, from the individuality of the children and the stalwart mother to the unrelenting evil of the witch. A tour de force in every way. Connie C. Rockman, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Conn.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Voyager Books (September 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152336796
• ISBN-13: 978-0152336790
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying to my daughter at age 4!, January 18, 2003

By	Catherine Hallberg "(Kate)" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Heckedy Peg (Hardcover)

My eldest was terrified by this book when she was 4- I don't blame her!- but started to like it a couple of years later. The storyline is dark as are the illustrations, but they're also well rendered.

There are many obvious messages in the story- the mother leaves the children alone with explicit directions, which they disregard to their detriment! The witch is portrayed as the post-Pagan era Evil Witch, and not a positive Healing Witch. Even worse, she wants to eat the children. Yikes! The Mother though, is able to Save Her Children because she loves and understands them well and pays attention to their needs.

My daughter's fears stemmed largely (I believe) from her fear of bad things happening to young children. If your child feels that way, this might be a scary book for her. My younger daughter never disliked the story though, but she has a different kind of analytical mind and probably didnt' suspend reality to allow the children to turn to food. :-)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A happy reader, March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Heckedy Peg (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading this story to my class. My class still get excited every time I read this story to them. I now read this story to other classes and still get amazed at the look on their faces when they see the pictures and when I sound like the witch in the story, My class especially enjoys the children names, Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday,Sunday. They always want to say it along with me. I have bought all of Audrey and Don Wood's books. I would love to meet them and tell them thank you for writing a wonderful and inspiring book for us all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful puzzle for children, April 21, 2000

By	b mcb "bmcbook" (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heckedy Peg (Hardcover)

I've read this book to a few students at a time. I always pause in the middle of it -- at the point where the witch challenges the mother to figure out which item is her child. On my table is a china pitcher, a box of salt, a tub of butter, a knife, and three other items. Then I challenge the children to figure out which item should go where on the picture. Their eyes gleam when they understand and solve the puzzle themselves. Afterwards, it is fun to make pudding!