Good Enough to Eat

This book is from the Notable Books for Children List

Exposition: This fairy tale takes place in a gated town to protect the citizens from an evil ogre. Our hero of the story has no name, is homeless, and the townspeople consider her a pest. She is referred to Scraps-and-Smells, Skin-and-Bones, and Sweets-and Treats. She sells stale buns or begs or starves. The mayor will not allow the townspeople to throw her out of the city.

Conflict: The day the ugly ogre came to the city demanding a bride was the day the citizens voted to send the girl to him. They did vote and Scraps-and-Smells, Skin-and-Bones, and Sweets-and-Treats were the only girl(s) to get votes. So away our young hero went.

Rising Action: The first time the girl was sent out she told the ogre she was Scraps-and-Smells. She was rejected with great force and the ogre retaliated by eating several farm animals. The second time she was sent out with a dowry. After calling herself Skin-and-Bones the ogre again rejected her and again raided the town's farm animals. The third time she was sent with swords and called herself Sweets-and-Treats.

Climax: Calling herself Sweets-and-Treats certainly got the ogre's attention. He picked her up declared her "good enough to eat" and swallowed her whole. Then she takes a sword, slashes the ogre's belly, and he dissolved into ash.

Falling Action: Once she returns to the town with the farm animals intact the townspeople offer her the lame reward of a barrel to live in and a sausage to eat.

Resolution: After the paltry reward is offered the young lady goes off on her own with the dowry, the swords, and the farm animals. She declares her new name will be Good-Enough-To-Eat.

This book was very well illustrated. I loved the  pictures more than the story. They were brightly colored and cartoon-like. When the text has vivid language such as "he had rats in his hair instead of lice," the illustrations really capture it. It looks to be watercolor and ink. It is a perfect style for such a far-fetched little story.

Cole, B. (2007). Good enough to eat. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux