Review
The full title - The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo, With Seventeen Other Laughable Tales & 200 Comical Silhouettes – pretty well sums it up. Since this is a collection of stories and poems I did approach this with some trepidation given my feelings about two past short story Newbery winners (Tales from Silver Lands and Shen of the Sea) – blah and double blah. However, I think the combination of much stronger (and funnier) storytelling combined with the ‘comical silhouettes’ made this a much more enjoyable collection overall. It is actually something I could see myself reading and liking as a child.
At times I found myself getting a little impatient with some of the longer stories, but for the most part they’re all cleverly told and I found myself giggling to myself much more than I would have expected! And I found that the more I read the more I appreciated the stories. I’m not sure if it’s that the quality improved as the book progressed or if I had just become accustomed to Bennet’s very quirky style of humor.
And I have to say that I just love the silhouettes! I’m a fan of the art form anyway, but they’re very abundant and well executed here! I am actually a little sad to have to give this book back to the library as I would love to be able to peruse this book at my leisure every now and then.
The stories contained in this collection are as follows:
The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo – a sort of fairy tale romance set in China and told in comical verse.
The Astonishing Story of the Caliph’s Clock – a foreign (i.e. Western) style clock sends the city of Chunder-abad-dad into chaos.
Ye Lily Mayden and Ye Lyttel Taylor-Boye – A chivalric poem told in five cantos about the romantic rivalries of wax figures in a dime museum.
The Story of the Fool Who Was Willing – A funny take on the ‘hero quest’ – a fool named Willing seeks his fortune and actually finds it.
The Proud Mrs. O’Haggin – a very short little poem about a stuffy woman who envies the children’s freedom.
Abigjah’s Forth of July – an odd little poem about a man who wishes to avoid all the racket on the forth of July. Not one of my favorites.
Little Peter and the Giant – A story about Little Peter who was ‘too small to be an esquire or knight, too weak to work, and not deformed enough to be a court jester’ and yet he is able to outsmart a giant.
The Jest of Little John –Little John happens upon a little girl crying in the forest and as he endeavors to soothe her he discovers she is the child of his mortal enemy – the Sheriff of Nottingham. Very amusing.
The Land of the Impossible –Nick Sicklefoot seeks his fortune in the Land of the Impossible to win the hand of a haughty maiden. He solves a bizarre conundrum, but things don’t go quite as he planned, but are infinitely better in the end.
The Cat, the Cow, the Dog and the Dairymaid: A Tragical Ballad – When Nelly goes to ‘de-lac-tate’ the cow the sets in motion a silly chain of events. Definitely some of the best silhouettes.
The Persian Columbus – We return to the kingdom of Chunder-abad-dad as the Caliph and Grand Vizir set out to prove or disprove that the world is round.
The Barber of Sari-Ann – After an unfortunate shaving accident the king decrees, ‘ne’er again shall a whisker be cut in this land’. And this was the way for years until a stranger arrived in Sari-Ann with a plan.
Fritz the Master Fiddler – a talented young fiddler sets off to find his fortune, but finds mostly misfortune until an accident changes his luck for good.
Ben Ali the Egyptian – Destitute and greedy King Ramses hatches a plot whereby he will sell shards of glass at diamond rates. If the jewelers do not agree they face the executioners ax and so they look to clever Ben Ali to save them.
Granger Grind and Farmer Mellow – A short poem about two men – one miserly and one generous.
How Cats Came to Purr – A funny little story ‘so old that if all the nine lives of all the cats that have ever lived in the world were set up together in a line, the other end of it would just reach back to the time when this occurred’.
Ye Ballad of Scullion Jack – A ballad told in five cantos of the king’s missing ring and a mighty reward for its return – the duke’s daughter’s hand in marriage. All is good until a cook’s knave, Scullion Jack, comes to claim his prize.
Hans the Otherwise – An odd outcast named Hans sets out The Land of Nod to see if he can answer the Baron’s question. A very funny and clever story!
Ye Olde Tyme Tayle – A ‘funne tayle’ told in mock Middle English verse of a knight who finds himself bested by a yeoman farmer in both love and battle.
The Merry Pieman and the Don’s Daughter – A melodrama which concerns the fallen fortunes of Don Sancho Pancho Pedro Pablo de Angostura of Scandalucia (how can you not think that’s funny?) and his daughter who has fallen in love with a humble pieman. One of the funniest selections in my opinion.
The Basket – A basket is the cause of much marital strife
How it All Ended: A Wordless Romance When Knights Were Bold – This is basically, for lack of a better phrase, a little wordless comic strip.
At times I found myself getting a little impatient with some of the longer stories, but for the most part they’re all cleverly told and I found myself giggling to myself much more than I would have expected! And I found that the more I read the more I appreciated the stories. I’m not sure if it’s that the quality improved as the book progressed or if I had just become accustomed to Bennet’s very quirky style of humor.
And I have to say that I just love the silhouettes! I’m a fan of the art form anyway, but they’re very abundant and well executed here! I am actually a little sad to have to give this book back to the library as I would love to be able to peruse this book at my leisure every now and then.
The stories contained in this collection are as follows:
The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo – a sort of fairy tale romance set in China and told in comical verse.
The Astonishing Story of the Caliph’s Clock – a foreign (i.e. Western) style clock sends the city of Chunder-abad-dad into chaos.
Ye Lily Mayden and Ye Lyttel Taylor-Boye – A chivalric poem told in five cantos about the romantic rivalries of wax figures in a dime museum.
The Story of the Fool Who Was Willing – A funny take on the ‘hero quest’ – a fool named Willing seeks his fortune and actually finds it.
The Proud Mrs. O’Haggin – a very short little poem about a stuffy woman who envies the children’s freedom.
Abigjah’s Forth of July – an odd little poem about a man who wishes to avoid all the racket on the forth of July. Not one of my favorites.
Little Peter and the Giant – A story about Little Peter who was ‘too small to be an esquire or knight, too weak to work, and not deformed enough to be a court jester’ and yet he is able to outsmart a giant.
The Jest of Little John –Little John happens upon a little girl crying in the forest and as he endeavors to soothe her he discovers she is the child of his mortal enemy – the Sheriff of Nottingham. Very amusing.
The Land of the Impossible –Nick Sicklefoot seeks his fortune in the Land of the Impossible to win the hand of a haughty maiden. He solves a bizarre conundrum, but things don’t go quite as he planned, but are infinitely better in the end.
The Cat, the Cow, the Dog and the Dairymaid: A Tragical Ballad – When Nelly goes to ‘de-lac-tate’ the cow the sets in motion a silly chain of events. Definitely some of the best silhouettes.
The Persian Columbus – We return to the kingdom of Chunder-abad-dad as the Caliph and Grand Vizir set out to prove or disprove that the world is round.
The Barber of Sari-Ann – After an unfortunate shaving accident the king decrees, ‘ne’er again shall a whisker be cut in this land’. And this was the way for years until a stranger arrived in Sari-Ann with a plan.
Fritz the Master Fiddler – a talented young fiddler sets off to find his fortune, but finds mostly misfortune until an accident changes his luck for good.
Ben Ali the Egyptian – Destitute and greedy King Ramses hatches a plot whereby he will sell shards of glass at diamond rates. If the jewelers do not agree they face the executioners ax and so they look to clever Ben Ali to save them.
Granger Grind and Farmer Mellow – A short poem about two men – one miserly and one generous.
How Cats Came to Purr – A funny little story ‘so old that if all the nine lives of all the cats that have ever lived in the world were set up together in a line, the other end of it would just reach back to the time when this occurred’.
Ye Ballad of Scullion Jack – A ballad told in five cantos of the king’s missing ring and a mighty reward for its return – the duke’s daughter’s hand in marriage. All is good until a cook’s knave, Scullion Jack, comes to claim his prize.
Hans the Otherwise – An odd outcast named Hans sets out The Land of Nod to see if he can answer the Baron’s question. A very funny and clever story!
Ye Olde Tyme Tayle – A ‘funne tayle’ told in mock Middle English verse of a knight who finds himself bested by a yeoman farmer in both love and battle.
The Merry Pieman and the Don’s Daughter – A melodrama which concerns the fallen fortunes of Don Sancho Pancho Pedro Pablo de Angostura of Scandalucia (how can you not think that’s funny?) and his daughter who has fallen in love with a humble pieman. One of the funniest selections in my opinion.
The Basket – A basket is the cause of much marital strife
How it All Ended: A Wordless Romance When Knights Were Bold – This is basically, for lack of a better phrase, a little wordless comic strip.
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