THE MEAL A MILE LONG
By
Condemned to death for picking a flower, Walter (on the advice of a sympathetic rat) makes his last request: a meal a mile long. As he slowly works his way down the table, the guards lose interest, and he ends up out of sight. The illustrations for this ridiculous, if dark, tall tale (Hughes' first) are finely detailed, sharply executed, and full of mordant humor. Unusual; try this with older children.