THE BLABBERMOUTHS

A farmer who frees an old woman from a spell is rewarded with gold on the condition that he never tells; his wife—after the secret has been whispered throughout the village and he's been arrested for stealing—hoodwinks the jurors into thinking that her husband's story is as false as the other preposterous tales she's duped him into telling. Though the outcome doesn't have ``Clever Manka's'' splendid poetic justice, the woman's tricks here have a similar comical appeal. The simply told story is humorously extended in Borovsky's faux-naãf illustrations, which follow the narrative in a variety of cartoon-style frames. Good for telling, but the illustrations are small for group use. ``Adapted from a German Folktale''; LC deems it fiction. (Picture book. 4-8)