AnnickPress

If it couldn’t be worse, it can only get better ... but how? A playful retelling of a classic folk tale!

A small house is big trouble for a poor farmer and all his family. There’s no room! It couldn’t be worse!

The old fishmonger suggests taking the family goat inside. The farmer’s wife is dumbfounded, but the fishmonger is such a wise man. She follows his advice.

The next day the farmer’s wife complains that with the goat now in the house, things couldn’t be worse! The smiling fishmonger tells her to take their sheep into the house, and then the pig, until they have brought all the barnyard animals inside.

Now things couldn’t be worse! The old fishmonger smiles broadly and suggests taking all the animals out of the house, then things will get better. And of course, they do. He was, after all, such a wise man!

Reviews:

“Bright, cheery watercolors match the puckish charm of this folktale ... festooned with humor. Children will especially giggle at the interior views.”
—Booklist

“Beautiful illustrations complementing a very satisfying retelling make this a winner.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“... a good rendition of the tale.”
—School Library Journal

“... a sight for sore eyes ...”
—The Globe and Mail

“A fresh and detailed retelling of an old classic folktale … the language is luscious and the detailed illustrations are filled with frustration and joy.”
—Brandon Sun

“As she did in BEAR TALES and A DROP OF GOLD, van Kampen is very good at retelling an old tale in a way that’s fun … [and she] injects her bright, richly textured watercolor illustrations with gleeful dynamism and sly humor.”
—Quill & Quire

“Vlasta van Kampen is a gem … [Her] clean, large watercolor illustrations are charming …”
—Resource Links