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Sweet Strawberries
He wasn't the worst man in the world, but he wasn't the nicest, either. That's what this man's wife understands as they head off to market to sell a basket of fish. And when he is grumpy with the various people they encounter along the way -- a young girl herding geese, the boy guarding the village gate, even the man with whom they trade their fish -- she is hardly surprised. After all, when husband and wife have been married a good long time, they get used to each other's ways. But when she catches sight of a table of plump red strawberries and her husband is too stingy to buy any, it's simply the last straw! Now, what will it take for this stingy, grumpy, impatient man to cheer her up again? Newbery Medal winner Phyllis Reynolds Naylor spins a droll tale of foibles and forgiveness, warmly captured in Rosalind Charney Kaye's charming illustrations.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1999
18 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
247 books1,037 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 2, 2024
This is for older kids who can understand the consequences of their behavior. I think most married people will enjoy the relationship of the grumpy husband and fed up wife though. Sometimes we just need to change our perspective.
April 13, 2011
I don't think it will be a favorite of mine, but a really sweet tale about how a man's attitude toward others affect his interactions with them. N. "read" this to himself before naptime today, and he really seems to like it, although it bothers him that there are so many pages that talk about the horse (pulling a wagon with the man and his wife) but don't show it in the picture.
August 8, 2012
2.5 stars. It is a sweet story about how changing your attitude changes how you view people around you. I have a hard time getting excited about a book that begins and ends this way, though: "he wasn't the worst man in the world, but he wasn't the nicest, either."
August 30, 2016
An older couple goes off to market every Saturday. Along the way the husband yells and angers other people but he wife just smiles and keeps going. She knows her husband. When he refuses to buy her some strawberries she gets angry and doesn't talk to him. Will his attitude change?
November 10, 2011
Love this!
December 4, 2012
A book about a man who changed from a stubborn bad man to a nice man. S.G
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February 11, 2013friendship, marriage?, change of heart
May 4, 2015
Sometimes this man is grumpy sometimes he's nice
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews