The Devil returns in this second collection of folktales about his misdeeds, trials and tribulations. My girls and I had enjoyed reading Babbit's first collection, The Devil's Storybook, so much that we immediately decided to read this one as well. It had a few fairly enjoyable stories, but unfortunately none of us found the book nearly as engaging as the first one. It read almost as though these were the stories that hadn't made it into the first collection, and that was a bit of a disappointment.Our favorite story was "Lessons," which was about a parrot who lives with an old woman, but who used to belong to a clergyman. Living with the clergyman gave the parrot a rather interesting vocabulary, so that when the Devil comes along, hoping to make some trouble, the parrot has a few tricks up his feathered sleeve. There was another story that was very strange, called "The Ear." It left my 7- and 9-year-olds scratching their heads in puzzlement at the end, but I found it intriguing, with imagery that is sure to remain in my mind for a long time to come.
I highly recommend the first Devil's story collection - it is delightful and makes a for great read-aloud. This one, sadly, didn't live up to our expectations - but those who loved the first book will find it hard to resist another visit to see what that tricky Devil is getting up to!
The Devil collections:
The Devil's Storybook
The Devil's Other Storybook
This book counts towards Molly's Personal Reading Challenge - I might just get there by the end of the year!
The Devil's Other Storybook by Natalie Babbit (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1987)
Interesting. I haven't read these but I have read (and loved) most of her others books.
ReplyDeleteIf you like her books, you'd certainly enjoy these short stories - particularly the first collection. They have a folktale feel and are clever and funny.
ReplyDeleteDarla - my library didn't have Violet on the Runway either. It is new - just heard it reviewed on NPR.
ReplyDeleteThe forensic mysteries sound really fascinating!
I hate when they do that before the book's available - by the time it comes out, I've forgotten all about it! It's on my list, though, and hopefully we'll be getting it. I'll let you know!
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