The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine

This recently discovered Twain fairy tale finds life as a picture book.Completing a story penned by arguably America’s greatest author is no easy feat, but the Caldecott-winning author-illustrator (and husband-wife) team proves more than equal to the task, transforming Twain’s jotted notes in an 1879 journal entry about a story told to his daughters into a beautifully illustrated fable that showcases the exemplary talents of all three artists. The tale follows the adventures of Johnny, a kindhearted African-American child being raised by his cruel grandfather. Forced to sell his only friend—a pet chicken—Johnny, rather like Jack before him, instead acquires seeds, the flowers from which enable him to converse with animals. When Prince Oleomargarine—the kingdom’s heir—is kidnapped, Johnny and his animal friends mount a rescue. Interwoven through the fairy tale is a series of author’s notes detailing a fictitious meeting between Twain and the author, from which this story emerges. Twain’s presence in the narrative allows Philip Stead to both acknowledge his literary debt and retain the freedom to make the tale his own. He is aided by Erin Stead’s sublime print illustrations, which demonstrate her masterful ability to create physical presence and characters’ emotions as well as landscapes; the muted greens, soft blues, and light pinkish-brown hues of her double-page spreads set a magical tone for a world that mirrors, but is not quite, our own. A pensive and whimsical work that Twain would applaud. (Picture book. 8-adult)

Copyright 2017 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Grades 5-8. This beautiful book began as a story that Twain told his daughters Clara and Suzy in 1879. Perhaps hoping to expand it, Twain subsequently took 16 pages of notes that lay unread for more than 100 years until they were discovered in the Mark Twain Archives. They form the foundation of the yarn that Philip C. Stead helps spin. Sprightly and—in the spirit of Twain—slightly sardonic, it’s the tale of an impoverished young boy named Johnny who is given a handful of magic seeds by an old woman. He plants one and when it has blossomed, he eats its flower and discovers he can talk to animals! One of them, a skunk named Suzy, quickly becomes his friend. Accompanied by all the animals of the land, they go on a quest to find the missing Prince Oleomargarine. The conceit of this charming oddity is that it is being told to Stead by Twain himself, who makes a guest appearance in scattered interludes. The book is hugely enhanced by the exquisite illustrations that Caldecott-winning Erin Stead has created. Rendered in wood carving, ink, pencil, and a laser cutter, they range from little vignettes to lavish double-page spreads set off by generous amounts of white space. The result is a gift to the eye. Samuel Langhorne Clemens himself would be proud.

Copyright 2017 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

From Twain’s notes on a bedtime tale spun for his children, Philip Stead develops a folktale-like American story with heaping dollops of nonsense. It involves our hero, the orphaned Johnny (whom illustrator Erin Stead envisions as a young African American boy); his pet chicken; a handful of blue seeds given to him by an old woman after he is kind to her; and of course a life-expanding journey for its protagonist. After eating a flower grown from one of the “beautiful and plain” seeds, Johnny can understand animal language. He is able to communicate with a group of animals who build the almost-starving boy a home and create a bountiful feast. A wise skunk named Susy (the name of one of Twain’s daughters) helps Johnny make sense of it all. When they spy a handbill on a tree in the forest--“Reward: Prince Oleomargarine Is Missing! Giants Suspected!”--Susy encourages Johnny to be brave and search for the missing prince. The story meanders but maintains wry humor throughout and provides timely commentary on human nature. Interludes of imagined conversations between Philip Stead and “my friend” Mark Twain lend insight into the creative process behind this unconventional tale. The tenderness of Erin Stead’s pictures (created with “wood carving, ink, pencil, and a laser cutter”) invites a child’s contemplation of tiny but meaningful details, such as a spider dangling from a soldier’s spear. Twain and the two Steads have created what could become a read-aloud classic, perfect for families to enjoy together.

Copyright 2017 Horn Book Magazine, LLC Used with permission.

Working from notes Twain made after telling an especially successful bedtime story, Philip C. Stead completes the tale of gentle Johnny, whose heart is pure despite his bleak surroundings and cruel grandfather. A magic flower gives him the power to understand the speech of animals, and a menagerie of kindly creatures helps him win the reward for finding the kingdom's lost Prince Oleomargarine--an insufferable twit, as it turns out. In postmodern fashion, Johnny's odyssey is often interrupted by imagined banter between Twain and Stead, who sit outside an island cabin and argue about how to proceed. Erin Stead's exquisite woodblock-and-pencil prints give the creamy pages an ethereal feel; her detailed close-up portraits of the main characters create a sense of intimate acquaintance. Even the action spreads have the stately appearance of medieval tapestries, as when Johnny and his animal family appear before the king: the tiny monarch, a tad defensive about his stature, sits on a throne that elevates him almost to the ceiling, putting him face-to-face with the delegation's giraffe. At the story's heart is a plea for honesty and kindness, expressed in its purest form by Johnny, who--unlike his voluble authors--doesn't say much. "Then he opened his mouth and discovered the words that could save mankind from all its silly, ceaseless violence.... He said: 'I am glad to know you.' " Stead stays faithful to Twain with a cast of eccentric characters, celestially fine writing, and a crusade against pomp that doesn't sacrifice humor. Ages 8-12. Agent: (for the Mark Twain House and Museum) Tina Wexler, ICM; (for the Steads) Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Sept.)

Gr 4-8--Using 16 pages of abbreviated handwritten notes from 1880 and outlining a tale Twain made up for his daughters, Stead has created a rhythmic and imaginative story seamlessly blended with intermittent "discussions" between the two authors. Twain's story is set in a land where "the luckless and hungry remain luckless and hungry for all of their lives," while "in the United States of America, everyone and everything is given a fair and equal chance. It would be rude to believe otherwise." Young Johnny, the main character, lives with his mean old grandfather on a piece of arid land with a withered old apple tree and a chicken that his grandfather has ordered him to sell at the market "for something worth eating." Along the way, he meets an old blind woman who trades a handful of blue seeds she obtained from a fairy for the chicken. After eating the flower that grows from the blue seed, Johnny is able to converse with animals who provide a banquet, help build him a house, and lead him to the missing Prince Oleomargarine. Here Twain disappears, and Stead is obliged to provide the story's ending. Erin Stead's numerous softly detailed illustrations in muted browns, greens, and yellows; laser cuttings; and block-printed silhouettes bring the unusual cast of characters to life. VERDICT The combination of Twain's (often sarcastic) humor and "lessons of life," a touch of allegory, and Stead's own storytelling skills result in an awesome piece of fantasy.--Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Gr 4-8-Using 16 pages of abbreviated handwritten notes from 1880 and outlining a tale Twain made up for his daughters, Stead has created a rhythmic and imaginative story seamlesslyáblended with intermittent "discussions" between the two authors. Twain's story is set in a land where "the luckless and hungry remain luckless and hungry for all of their lives," while "in the United States of America, everyone and everything is given a fair and equal chance. It would be rude to believe otherwise." Young Johnny, the main character, lives with his mean old grandfather on a piece of arid land with a witheredáold apple tree and a chicken that his grandfather has ordered him to sell at the market "for something worth eating." Along the way, he meets an old blind woman who trades a handful of blue seeds she obtained from a fairy for the chicken. After eating the flower that grows from the blue seed, Johnny is able to converse with animals who provide a banquet, help build him a house, and lead him to the missing Prince Oleomargarine. Here Twain disappears, and Stead is obliged to provide the story's ending. Erin Stead's numerous softly detailed illustrations in muted browns, greens, and yellows; laser cuttings; and block-printed silhouettes bring the unusual cast of characters to life. VERDICT The combination of Twain's (often sarcastic) humor and "lessons of life," a touch of allegory, and Stead's own storytelling skills result in an awesome piece of fantasy.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Working from notes Twain made after telling an especially successful bedtime story, Philip C. Stead completes the tale of gentle Johnny, whose heart is pure despite his bleak surroundings and cruel grandfather. A magic flower gives him the power to understand the speech of animals, and a menagerie of kindly creatures helps him win the reward for finding the kingdom's lost Prince Oleomargarine-an insufferable twit, as it turns out. In postmodern fashion, Johnny's odyssey is often interrupted by imagined banter between Twain and Stead, who sit outside an island cabin and argue about how to proceed. Erin Stead's exquisite woodblock-and-pencil prints give the creamy pages an ethereal feel; her detailed close-up portraits of the main characters create a sense of intimate acquaintance. Even the action spreads have the stately appearance of medieval tapestries, as when Johnny and his animal family appear before the king: the tiny monarch, a tad defensive about his stature, sits on a throne that elevates him almost to the ceiling, putting him face-to-face with the delegation's giraffe. At the story's heart is a plea for honesty and kindness, expressed in its purest form by Johnny, who-unlike his voluble authors-doesn't say much. "Then he opened his mouth and discovered the words that could save mankind from all its silly, ceaseless violence.... He said: 'I am glad to know you.'" Stead stays faithful to Twain with a cast of eccentric characters, celestially fine writing, and a crusade against pomp that doesn't sacrifice humor. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2017 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Completing a story penned by arguably America's greatest author is no easy feat, but the Caldecott-winning author-illustrator (and husband-wife) team proves more than equal to the task. . . . A pensive and whimsical work that Twain would applaud.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens himself would be proud.