Product Description

Only Theo's grandmother sees the truth about the boy: He's as spoiled as a rotten old apple!

That is why, on one of Theo's naughtiest, grabbiest, mouthiest days, Grandmother decides to bake him a pie.

Young Theo has never seen the like. Its crust is as big as a bedsheet; its filling of plums, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, and quince is as tempting as any sweet feast ever set before a boy. But when he greedily reaches out for a taste, little Theo bites off a lot more than he can chew!

Jennifer Donnelly's wise and funny tale has inspired pictures of modern-day wit and medieval charm from a master of artistic antics, Stephen Gammell.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1327535 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Theo has earned a village-wide reputation for being greedy and grabby. While the locals all have theories about the root of the problem, Theo's grandmother knows the true cause: he is spoiled rotten. Grandmother also knows the only cure is a heaping helping of humble pie a gigantic concoction that she happens to be preparing. She mixes Theo in with the fruit filling and covers it with crust, and not even Theo's worst tantrums get him out. Finally, when he rolls still inside the pie into a nearby village of starving people, the boy gets a taste of what it means to be compassionate. Debut author Donnelly gamely offers rhythmic turns of phrase ("Theo howled and yowled and thumped and bumped over rocks and ruts and branches") but her shapely prose does not disguise the didactic flavor of an old-fashioned morality tale. In addition, her examples of what constitutes spoiling a plump featherbed, a soft tunic, a warm coverlet are a stretch. The illustrations, however, convey an impish sense of fun that will have young readers happily following along and cheering for Theo's comeuppance. In Gammell's (Song and Dance Man) signature style, wispy colored-pencil and watercolor compositions alternate between shadowy black-brown hues and a palette bursting with rainbow brightness. Anchored in Old World details, his interpretations add dramatic punch and leavening along with a healthy dash of humor. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Set in a medieval land, this picture book introduces Theo, a rotten kid, who is selfish, lazy, and indifferent to the suffering of others. On the day he eats Baby's birthday cake, his grandmother decides to do something about her spoiled grandson. She makes a gigantic humble pie, and with a magical rhyme, she pops Tom inside. A major tantrum isn't enough to free him, and his "friends" refuse to pull him out. His family doesn't even care that he's gone. When Theo rolls himself to the village, he notices, for the first time, the ravaged, hungry people and feels pity. All the villagers see, however, is the huge pie. In the nick of time, Theo extricates himself and rushes home, a better boy who, as his grandmother notes, "has gotten his just deserts." Using fairy tale conventions, Donnelly's debut is fresh and funny. The only unsatisfying note is the ending, when Theo's freedom comes accidentally rather than as a result of his change of heart. Gammell's art is known for its exuberance. Here, using pastels, watercolors, and colored pencils, he offers splatters and splats, messes and muddles, adding mirth to the story's worth. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Jennifer Donnelly lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two greyhounds.

She loves to eat pie. Coconut cream is her favorite. Humble Pie is her first book for children.

Customer Reviews

Once in a great while, a book like this comes along...
A truly imaginative and enchanting tale. Great fun to read aloud and linger over the illustrations. You can't go wrong with a great story matched by amazing illustrations with a little sprinkle of morality. This is one of the classics that children will remember for a long time to come, as I remember Dr. Seuss and Where the Wild Things Are.

Let them eat Humble Pie!
This book is a rarity: a story with a moral that's fun (and funny!) for 21st century kids and their parents to read over and over again. Wonderful pictures, too -- the great Stephen Gammell's best. And you know what? I think it really works! I'll be darned if my own little Theos (...) aren't just little more considerate since they got a taste of Humble Pie!

Timeless
The kind of fairytale they rarely make anymore, but should. A hilarious and engaging story beautifully illustrated. Great fun for kids and the adults who read to them. This is a book that will be still be a favorite twenty years from now.