Clay Boy

Rating:
Summary: EAT LIKE A HORSE AND MAKE A GOAT OF YOURSELF
Review: .

What is it about most traditional East European folk tales? They nearly always have a sinister, sometimes scary story line. "Clay Boy" is no exception.

The concept of a clay boy that comes to life is very reminiscent of Pinocchio. An elderly couple known as Grandpa and Grandma are lonely now that their children have grown up. The clay boy is to become their child substitute.

There is one big problem when he comes alive. He is insatiably hungry. He eats and eats, and he grows and grows until he ate all the food in the house. "More More" he cries.

Now things get a little macabre. He's seen gulping down whole live chickens, and then the geese, cat and dog are consumed. Then it's Grandma and Grandpa's turn to be on the menu.

By now, Clay Boy is of giant proportions. In one bite, he eats a man, a wagon, a horse and a load of hay. GULP!

He is still unsatisfied, after swallowing everybody in the village.

But then, he meets his match.

A very cunning goat (check out the face on this Billy) offers to jump straight into Clay Boy's mouth, but on one condition: Clay Boy has to close his eyes.

The goat took a great leap straight at the big fat belly. Clay Boy broke into a hundred pieces and all the people and animals that he had swallowed tumbled out. The goat was the hero of the village and had his horns painted gold. Such rejoicing!

No explicit moral is given in this story. But what does this folk tale tell us? Will insatiable greed and endless consumption lead only to annihilation?

There is also a modern message here. Now that most of us live far removed from our parent's homes, perhaps we should spend more time with our folks so they don't get lonely. And for Grandma and Grandpa, they should accept that their children have grown up, and should not try to find substitutes for this loss.

The last page brings this home. The role of Grandparents is to instil and pass on their wisdom to their grandchildren. The best way to do this is to be a story- teller for the young ones and ideally, pass on the stories that you heard from your parents and grandparents.

Rating:
Summary: Kids love it!
Review: A wondeful twist from the original Gingerbread story. My preschool children love it and I am not allowed to put it away. The color pictures depict the story in a amusing fashion.

Rating:
Summary: Scary Boy, I mean Clay Boy!
Review: After reading this book, my perception of life is now altered due to the grotesque and horrifying book. "Clay Boy" resembles a potato trapped in a pair of Hanes pantyhose with the appetite of Hannible Lecter. Donner Party of five your table is ready with "Clay Boy" as your host!

Rating:
Summary: A FRIENDLY GIANT
Review: Although the hero resembles an overgrown Pillsbury Doughboy, Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg, pictures by Jos. A. Smith is a fanciful tale about a blossoming giant.

Youngsters do enjoy tales of giants so this may intrique them.

Rating:
Summary: A FRIENDLY GIANT
Review: Although the hero resembles an overgrown Pillsbury Doughboy, Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg, pictures by Jos. A. Smith is a fanciful tale about a blossoming giant.

Youngsters do enjoy tales of giants so this may intrique them.

Rating:
Summary: Scary Boy, I mean Clay Boy!
Review: Clayboy is a favorite of mine and the children in my early childhood special education classroom. Clay Boy comes to life saying "I'm here! I'm hungry!" The story concludes with the raveneous boy getting his "just desserts"! Mirra does a wonderful job of finding just the right word to go with the actions. Read with expression, this book is sure to please even those children who find books and stories "boring"!

Rating:
Summary: Not just another gingerbread man story!!
Review: Clayboy is a favorite of mine and the children in my early childhood special education classroom. Clay Boy comes to life saying "I'm here! I'm hungry!" The story concludes with the raveneous boy getting his "just desserts"! Mirra does a wonderful job of finding just the right word to go with the actions. Read with expression, this book is sure to please even those children who find books and stories "boring"!

Rating:
Summary: This book NOT for very young children
Review: My friend was given this book as a gift for her daughters, aged 2 1/2. Since she's in constant motion with her twins, she asked me to post this review. One of the girls was rather uninterested, and unaffected, by the story, but the second one was nothing short of traumatized by the images depicted in this story, particularly of the Clay Boy devouring a horse, with its rider and cart. She has had nightmares ever since and constantly asks her mother "Is the Clay Boy outside our house?" and "Will the horse be OK?" The illustrations are wonderfully done, but they are a bit too lifelike for those too young to understand. I think this book is much more appropriate for children who are at least four or five.