A Far-Fetched Story

Cates, Karin

ISBN 10: 0688159397 ISBN 13: 9780688159399

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2002

Synopsis

Grandmother wanted firewood. But one by one, the family members who went to the woods to gather sticks came back with unlikely tales. A wolf tried to eat the boy's shirt. Deer nibbled his sister's dress. Swans attacked their mother. And the baby? Even the baby had an adventure. in the end, no wood was gathered, but the family had a fine collection of far-fetched stories. And thanks to Grandma's ingenuity, these stories kept them warm and cozy during the long, hard winter.

About this title

About the Author

Karin Cates has been writing stories since she was nine years old. She also likes to sew handmade fabric greeting cards for her family and friends. in fact, the idea for A Far-Fetched Story came to her while she was sewing.

The author earned a Masters degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin and worked as an elementary school teacher for twelve years. She is now retired and lives in Austin with her husband, Lloyd, and their two cats, Boo and Missy.

Nancy Carpenter is the honored illustrator of numerous books for children, including Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters,A Far-Fetched Story by Karin Cates, Loud Emily by Alexis O'Neill, and Masai and I by Virginia L. Kroll. The artist lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and their daughter, Maeve, a toddler with finely honed radar skills.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-In this folktale-like story, Grandmother wants just one more armful of firewood for the winter woodpile, but the boy, girl, mother, father, and baby all come back empty-handed and with their clothing in tatters. As the five sit shivering on the bed, the old woman has a great idea. Burn the ragged clothes for heat? No, make a quilt that "kept the whole family as warm as toast and as safe as fairy tales all through the long, hard winter-." Never mind the logic of what they'll wear when they finally get out of bed-this story has just the right amount of humor to convince readers that these five sillies are in good hands with Grandmother. While most of the illustrations are done in ink line and watercolor, the family members' "far-fetched" accounts of how their clothes have been ruined have been photocopied to transfer paper and ironed onto frayed white linen, thus setting these "stories" off from the main narrative. Carpenter adds detail with machine embroidery to form a unique illustrative technique. The resulting subdued colors lend old-time heft to the pictures and expressive black lines give the skeptical Grandmother, the endearing girl offering an apple to the deer offstage, the nonplussed baby surrounded by rabbits, and others a humorous look. Whether displayed with other quilt books or with foolish folktale people, this title will circulate, and families who read it together may expect some "far-fetched" explanations in the future.
Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0688159397
• ISBN 13: 9780688159399
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Carpenter Nancy