THE IMPUDENT ROOSTER

Rascol adapts a classic Romanian tale originally told by Ion Creanga as “The Pouch with Two Coins.” A poor man refuses to eat his old friend, the rooster, but in his desperation, wishes that the rooster was a hen who could lay eggs. The rooster, hurt by this scolding, sets off down the road. When he finds a coin purse, he knows he can help the old man, only to have it snatched from his beak by a nobleman’s coachman, who refuses to return it. So Rooster takes matters into his own beak, swallowing gold and goods in a wonderfully charming story that brings riches back to the rooster’s master and, of course, in the tradition of all good tales, everyone lives happily ever after—except perhaps for the nobleman, who finally has to work for a living. Berry echoes richly colored Romanian folk-art designs throughout the stylized illustrations that reflect the humor, magic, and power of the tale. (source note) (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)