Good Enough to Eat

I rarely find a book that my child wants to read over and over again, but after borrowing this from a library, I just had to buy it. I read this story to children ages 5, 4, and 2 and they all just loved it. They loved screaming out the "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!" line each time we read it. My girls are the princess story type, but they loved this book.

This is the story of a homeless girl/young woman in an unspecified medieval time. She is without family, home or even name, so she is alternatively called Scraps-and-Smells, Skin-and-Bones or Sweets-and-Treats. She supports herself, such as she can, by selling paper birds and stale bread or begging when she needs to. As such, she frequently goes cold and hungry. Although many of the townspeople are annoyed by her, the mayor decides not to turn her out, thinking it a "good deed" to indulge her presence that will eventually be rewarded. When an Ogre comes demanding a bride, the townspeople unanimously elect the girl for the honor. However, the Ogre rejects her three times, giving her twice, giving her the opportunity to acquire a dowry from the townsfolk and a sharp sword. When he finally decides she's "Good Enough to Eat," she kills the Ogre. Although the townspeople are now grateful enough to offer her food, cloth and a barrel to live in, the girl happily turns her back, with her gold, sword and companions that she rescued from the Ogre. I loved the story because it showed someone who, although rejected all her life, proved to be clever and opportunistic. The illustrations were spot on, contrasting the skinny, confused girl with the selfish, fattened townspeople. They also lent to the hectic, zany atmosphere the story hints at. Sometimes people are treated badly, but sometimes, even those people can get a little justice.

Brock Cole's GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT tells of a threatening foul ogre who demands one of the town's fair maidens - and it's easy for the town to decide on who to sacrifice: a poor girl who lives on the streets. They dress her finely and leave her for the Ogre - but it turns out he's quite fussy - and the girl uncommonly brave - in this fine, involving story.

The author of "Buttons" (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2000) employs familiar folkloric elements to create an amusing tale about a resourceful girl who slays an Ogre and gains a fortune. When an Ogre comes to a town and demands a bride, a poor wretched girl variously called, "Scraps- and- Smells", "Skin-and-Bones", or "Sweets-and-Treats" who was considered "a pest and a bother" by the townspeople is dressed in fine clothing, placed in a bag, and set outside the town gate. The Ogre finds the bag and says, "Ha! What's this?" and the girl replies with her first name. The Ogre cries, "Not good enough!" and grabs some animals to eat. When the townspeople ask the girl, Oh, what more could he possibly want?" the clever girl tells them that the Ogre also wants a dowry. This time when the Ogre comes back for his bride, the girl responds to his question, "What is this?" with her second name, and the Ogre repeats, "Not Good Enough!" The colorful illustrations sparkle with humor: The fat ogre is dressed in a ballooning blouse, striped tights and an armored vest, and always has mice crawling on him; As the Ogre is swallowing the girl in the sack, the previously devoured goat and sheep peek out of his mouth; The girl is dressed in a green dress and wearing a "gold paper" crown, and as she is being stuffed into a sack, one large foot seems to resist; The mayor looking very self-satisfied holds his hands up to calm a group of clearly agitated townspeople. This is a delightful story to share with children, ages 5 and up.