Andiamo, Weasel! (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Jon Goodell (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her debut picture book, Grant serves up a trickster tale with a Mediterranean twist. "Once, on the golden fields of Tuscany, there lived a weasel and a crow," the story begins, as Goodell (Zigazak! A Magical Hanukkah Night) portrays an itinerant weasel setting eyes on the industrious crow planting corn. "This is such a grande job for such a piccola crow," the weasel points out, adding that if they share the work, they can split the harvest. The crow agrees, but when it comes to the real chores weeding, harvesting and moving the corn into the barn the weasel always finds an excuse to, well, weasel out of his end of the bargain. The crow soon uncovers his scam ("Mamma mia! What a weaselly weasel!"). The ultimate blow occurs when the weasel splits with his half of the harvest: he takes all the corn and leaves the husks for the crow. The would-be trickster is in for a surprise, however, when the crow seeks her "vendetta!" (revenge), proving she "may be piccola in size, but... grande in spirit." Grant's jaunty, lighthearted narrative brims with gusto, and she seamlessly weaves in Italian words and phrases (she ends with a glossary). Goodell's sunny, pastoral paintings reflect the beauty of the setting as well as the humor and action of the story; the crow's eyes belie her intelligence, while the weasel's swagger betrays his intent. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Luscious endpapers featuring tall cypress trees, winding roads, and tile-roofed, stucco farmhouses amid hilly fields transport readers to Tuscany, home of crow and weasel, who are just reaching an agreement to share the planting and harvesting of a corn crop. After all, it is "such a grande job for such a piccola crow," that weasel is glad to lend a hand. But when it comes time to weed and then to gather the crop into the barn before a storm hits, he is conveniently indisposed, and the once-patient crow realizes that she's been had. Enlisting the aid of a wolf, she determines to get revenge, but in the end, it is her own resourcefulness that wins the day. The amusing text is peppered with Italian words, and although a glossary is appended, readers will readily glean their meanings in context. Goodell's large paintings move from the brilliance of a sunny Tuscan day to the menacing clouds that usher in a fierce storm. There are many humorous touches as well: a Mona Lisa look-alike picture in weasel's bedroom; crow's throwing up her wings as she catches weasel in a lie and sighs, "Mamma mia!"; and the expressive faces of the animals. While it is unfortunate that crow herself tricks and makes fun of innocent people to win the wolf's help, youngsters will relish the poetic justice and cheer for the piccola crow who outmaneuvers the much bigger weasel.
Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (August 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375806075
• ISBN-13: 978-0375806070
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,632,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The stuff of which memories are made, December 1, 2002

By	Anthony R. Buccino (Nutley, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the rolling Tuscan countryside a piccola crow goes into business with a wily weasel. And therein begins the story of Andiamo, Weasel! by Rose Marie Grant and illustrated by Jon Goodell, ($15.95 Alfred A. Knopf.)

This charmingly illustrated children's book is perfect for youngsters of all ages, meaning the grown-ups who read it to the children will enjoy the tale and the telling as much as the little ones. Grown ups reading aloud may even break in to the song "Funiculi, funicula!" more than once!

Youngsters accustomed to hearing parents and grandparents split their speech with words from the old country will feel right at home in this fable. Consider that all the speaking parts in this fable belong to the animals, and they all live in Italy, of course, they'll sprinkle their exchanges with a bit of Italian. (Won't the grown ups delight in translating for the little ones!)

Even the rooster, who only has one word says it in Italian, "Chicchirichi!" Frankly, we've never heard a rooster crow in another language, but if they did, we're sure this is how they'd sound in Italian. (It's that willing-suspension-of-disbelief-thing, we ARE talking about a fable here!) But the best part of that rooster's cameo word is hearing Mom or Dad or a grandparent bringing the word to life, or life to the word and lighting up a child's face.

As the glossary at end of Andiamo, Weasel! explains, piccola is small. So the crow is small and needs the help of the weasel, who ends up being prodded by the title (Andiamo, Weasel!) and rarely succumbs to work after the corn crop is sown while they merrily sing "Funiculi, funicula!"

This fable works on many levels, one of which for the children reading it is to learn that hard work will be rewarded, and that even though they might be small, or piccola, they probably are much stronger than they realize and should stand up for what's right.

As interesting and fun as is the story, I could see reading this aloud and pausing to point out the rich detail capturing the Tuscan farm country. The piccolo crow wears a flower in her straw hat; the weasel wears a neckerchief (as if he could just as easily hold up the next stage coach!) that he later wears around his broken leg when there is work to be done. In the menacing rain corn husks like vipers whirl in the wind under dark clouds.

The piccolo crow enlists the help of a wolf to frighten the weasel into doing the right thing. The wolf could have been drawn to be more scary and imposing a figure - but let's not upset the friends of the wolves in the world. And the tenor frightened off the bandstand by the piccolo crow - why was he a fat, balding man with a handlebar mustache? Ooh fah!

But these minor points are no reason that you shouldn't run out now and buy a copy of Andiamo, Weasel! for every tot you know, from 1 to 101 years old. It's the stuff of which memories are made.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Va bene!, July 22, 2003

By	SB "SB" (PA) - See all my reviews

What a great book. Not only is it a very cute fable, but my 5-year-old loves being able to surprise his Italian Nana with the Italian phrases he's learned. We first read this as a library loaner, but my son was so reluctant to return it that we had to buy our own copy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believe In Yourself, October 26, 2002

By	Carmen Matthews "The Serene Samurai" (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a wonderful book for children, ages 5 to 8, to learn how to believe in their own power.

And quite frankly, it might not be a bad idea for adults to read, and think about the things that they want out of life.