SPIDER IN THE WELL

A resourceful newsboy finds his fortune.

The boy works multiple other jobs (“he was also the chimney sweep, the shoe shiner, and the milkman”—he’s told this is a “fair arrangement”) for the town of Bad Göodsburg. One day, he delivers troubling news: The wishing well is broken! The baker, the shopkeeper, and the doctor are particularly incensed, since they’ve each made a selfless wish—or so they claim. When the boy investigates, he discovers that a large spider now occupies the well and appears to have gathered the coins (and presumably the wishes) for itself. The spider tells the boy that the supposedly altruistic baker, shopkeeper, and doctor actually made selfish wishes, and the enterprising boy cleverly leverages this information for a better deal from the town, plus a big pile of gold coins. Hannigan’s lighthearted block printing–style art, featuring naïve, slightly blobby characters, complements the droll, deceptively simple folktale-esque narrative. Bold pages with white text set against black backgrounds introduce each section of the brief narrative, supplying both dramatic pacing and sly humor. The unprincipled townsfolk get their just deserts, and the glimpse of the now very cranky spider at the end is the cherry on top of a very diverting sundae.

Terrific fun with a shrewd hero.