Was It a Good Trade? ANNOTATION
Never satisfied with what he has, a man trades away a knife, a shoe, and even his wife, all the while wondering if he has made a good trade.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
There was a little man who traded everything he could, until he ended up with everything he started with.
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and Irene Haas have recorded the antics of this funny little hero with rhythm, rhyme, and humor in this delightful picture book based on a folk song. First published in 1957 and completely reillustrated by the original artist, Was It a Good Trade? is a book to read, sing, chant, and rhyme along with. Readers can even trade it!Was it a good trade? Was it a bad trade? Was it a good trade — hey?
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Irene Haas, illustrator of Beatrice Schenk de Regniers's folk song adaptation Was It a Good Trade?, has traded in her preseparated art from the original 1956 publication for all-new art in a May reissue. At 10" x 6", the volume retains the horizontal shape of its predecessor, and many of Haas's compositions closely resemble her originals, with multiple vignettes on a single spread suggesting the protagonist's bartering actions. The tidy lines and solid color fields of the 1956 edition, however, have yielded to a profusion of patterns in lush colors, with every detail welcoming in readers. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
This rhyming circular tale based on a folk song and first published in 1956 has been newly illustrated. The little man trades knife for wife, cake for rake, rake for shoe, and so on, finding fault with each trade but still asking the title question. The sing-song nonsense takes on a sequentially realistic shape through Haas's infectiously funny watercolors. The long vertical pages are used to display the framed action shots, six or so per trade, of our dumpy, bespectacled hero in his checked suit. His antics are pure slapstick comedy, which Haas has made her own by subtle handling of the medium and sensitive command of design. The music for the song is included. 2002 (orig. 1956, 1984), HarperCollins Publishers,
School Library Journal
PreS-This rhyming, whimsical story, based on a folk song, was first published in 1956 (Harcourt; o.p.) and has been completely reillustrated. In it, a man trades a knife for a wife, a cake for a rake, a shoe without a mate for a slate, and more. Periodically, he asks if the results are good or bad, but readers know that his swapping doesn't amount to much, which is why he keeps at it. Near the end, he has the knife back, and announces that he is through with trading, but the next spread belies his words. Full-color drawings of the man and the things he trades bounce across each spread on white backgrounds. Roly-poly, rosy-cheeked characters enliven the frolicking text, which flows and curves along the pages. The music and words for the song are included at the end. You may not want to trade your original for this version but you will want to add it.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Like Adoff's newly recast Black Is Brown Is Tan (p. 404), this pairs a text published decades ago (1957) with new art from the original illustrator. In a series of trades, a rotund little man in a gingham suit swaps his knife for a wife, her cake for a rake, and so on, generally getting the better of each transaction, until at last he presents his wife with a whale. Being a commonsensical sort, she trades in the whale-for a knife. The verses are gathered at the end, with music adapted from a folk tune. Haas doesn't stray far from her original compositions; her figures are redrawn and freshly colored, but they still dance in sequential vignettes across oblong white spreads as in the first edition. Young readers who find Old Mother Hubbard hilarious will giggle over this similar-sounding nonsense rhyme. (Picture book. 6-8)
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