A WAGONLOAD OF FISH
adapted by Judit Z. Bodn†r & translated by Judit Z. Bodn†r & illustrated by Alexi Natchev
Based on an episode in a longer Hungarian story, Bodn†r's debut work has the robust humor of a true folktale. An author's note places the tale, which has echoes of both ``The Fisherman and His Wife'' and ``Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar.'' An old couple has plenty of food, but the crabby wife nags her husband through the winter months to get her some fish. In mid-June he goes off to fish, and soon has a wagonload, most of which he promptly loses to a clever fox. At home, his wife pronounces him lazy, but the old man hardly notices; he is busy contemplating a trip to Lapland to get reindeer meat (a journey that would keep him away from home for a good, long time). The language of the retelling is delightfully traditional (``Once there was, or once there wasn't''), with some less-familiar words (pullets and sows rather than chickens and pigs) and phrases to make each character distinct (the fox holds himself as still as a ``fallen sapling''). Employing rustic colors and unusual perspectives, Natchev presents his peasant with wonderfully bushy moustache and eyebrows and a scowling, babushka-covered wife. A lark for readers and listeners alike. (Picture book/folklore. 4+)