Mule Eggs

by Cynthia C. DeFelice

Patrick the city slicker, a new farm owner, falls prey to a practical joke but is able to turn the tables on his deceiver

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

1 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Cynthia DeFelice is the author of many bestselling titles for young readers, including the novels Wild Life, The Ghost of Cutler Creek, Signal, and The Missing Manatee, as well as the picture books, One Potato, Two Potato, and Casey in the Bath. Her books have been nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award and listed as American Library Association Notable Children's Books and Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, among numerous other honors.

Cynthia was born in Philadelphia in 1951. As a child, she was always reading. Summer vacations began with a trip to the bookstore, where she and her sister and brothers were allowed to pick out books for their summer reading. “To me,” she says, “those trips to the bookstore were even better than the rare occasions when we were given a quarter and turned loose at the penny-candy store on the boardwalk.” Cynthia has worked as a bookseller, a barn painter, a storyteller, and a school librarian.

When asked what she loves best about being an author, she can’t pick just one answer: “I love the feeling of being caught up in the lives of the characters I am writing about. I enjoy the challenge of trying to write as honestly as I can, and I find enormous satisfaction in hearing from readers that something I wrote touched them, delighted them, made them shiver with fear or shake with laughter, or think about something new.” Cynthia and her husband live in Geneva, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/cynthi...

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very silly.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story -- when city slicker moves to country and tries to become a farmer, some of the country folk make fun of him and take advantage of his lack of knowledge of farming They are bullies. Eventually, he figures out that he's being made a fool of and uses his wits to outsmart his detractors. The story provides an example of how to use your intelligence and strategize to overcome life obstacles. Although I as an adult read this great life lesson into it, probably most kids just see this as a fun story that reinforces good ways to deal with bad situations.

[Finny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy says: We loved this book about a naive city slicker turning the tables on a sneaky neighbor.

[Saunders Awards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story emphasizes skepticism, preparation, and cleverness, but the main character responds to mistreatment with revenge instead of asserting rights to dignity and respect.