THE TURNIP

The fun starts on the cover--Grandfather and Grandmother pulling on the front, Grandmother and hen tugging on the back--and continues until the last heave when the enormous turnip finally comes up, thanks (he thinks) to the magpie who pulled at the pig, who pulled at the hen, who pulled at the rooster, who pulled at the geese, who pulled at the cat, who pulled at the dog, Who pulled at Micky (the grandson), who pulled at Grandmother, who pulled at Grandfather, who pulled at the turnip. The outlandlish length of the line-up and the astonished reaction of the magpie (""Oh, my! Look what I have done."") add an amusing fillip to this version which scores, for younger children, by its brevity and directness, and for all children by the stubborn-peasant hilarity of the illustrations. Set often against a patterned tapestry ground, they are simple, solid, and very becomingly multi-colored.