An Egg and Seven Socks - Hardcover

Mathews, Judith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060202076 ISBN 13: 9780060202071

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 1993

Synopsis

Three silly sisters, who earn their living darning socks, go on a journey to recover seven socks and a darning egg, and meet a king and a dragon

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-- In a medieval folkloric setting, three foolish sisters, Lacey, Doily, and Thimblethreads, darn socks for a living. In a limp attempt at humor, one sister is pointlessly depicted as speaking only in rhyme. When a wind blows away their socks plus a darning egg that was their mother's, the women rush to the chase. Along the way in this pastiche of traditional literature, the loopy sisters befriend a sad donkey, amuse a troubled king with their dottiness, contrast city life with their own country existence, and destroy a dragon (who actually chokes on the lost socks). Overcome by its own silliness, the story wobbles to a happy conclusion as the sisters return home no wiser but a little richer. Children will enjoy Hafner's cheerful, humorous full-color cartoon illustrations but may be troubled by an all-too-modern representation of hollow-eyed homeless people cooking over a fire in the street of a seemingly war-torn city. It's unfortunate that this isn't a tighter story on which the artist could spend her considerable talents. --Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Good-natured absurdity saves the day when three resourceful sisters slay a fearsome dragon with only a sock. Lacey, Doily and Thimblethreads (who speaks only in rhyme) "knew how to do only one thing--that was to darn socks." So they pass their lives in a flurry of socks until one day a wind blows through their home, carrying off seven socks and a darning egg. (An introduction explains the function of such an egg.) The siblings set out in hot pursuit--"We must get that egg back! It came from MOTHER!"--and unwittingly embark on a dragon-slaying adventure. Mathews's upbeat text contains an engaging blend of fanciful plotting, derring-do and downright silliness sure to hold kids' attention. Vivid colors and comical touches abound in Hafner's illustrations--her characters call to mind jolly Mother Goose figures. Though perhaps short on substance, this larky tale is long on chuckles. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0060202076
• ISBN 13: 9780060202071
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hafner Marylin