Mr. Miacca: An English Folk Tale

by Evaline Ness (Retold By, Illustrator), Joseph Jacobs

What happens to a child who goes around the corner when he has been told not to? Mr. Miacca catches him and takes him home in a sack, pops him into his cooking pot, and serves him for supper - unless, of course, the child happens to be Tommy Grimes, a very naughty but very clever little boy who has many ingenious ways to escape from Mr. and Mrs. Miacca.

Miss Ness’ interpretation of this humorously scary old English folk tale set against a backdrop of Victorian London will be enjoyed again and again.

Description is from Back Cover.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Evaline Ness was an American commercial artist, illustrator, and author of children's books. As illustrator of picture books she was one of three Caldecott Medal runners-up each year 1964 to 1966 and she won the 1967 Medal for Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine, which she also wrote. She illustrated more than thirty books for young readers and wrote several of her own. She is noted for using a great variety of artistic media and methods.

Reviews

[Karen Witzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evaline Ness is a favorite illustrator from childhood and I do like the illustrations in this book, however, the retelling of an English folk tale that is a cross between Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood is a bit too chilling for modern tastes. Mr. and Mrs. Miacca come off as rather credible serial killers/cannibals without the distance of make-believe found in giants/giantesses, gingerbread house witches, wolves in Granny's nightdress, or even Heckedy-Peg. Too scary.

The story itself is a cautionary tale for urban boys about straying too far from home and not listening to your mother --- Mr. Miacca will get you and put you in a sack and take you home and eat you up.

I would still collect it for the Ness illustrations, if a copy came my way -- but would stick to the more well-known tales to deliver good age-old advice to little kids. Originally published in 1967.

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating of the Joseph Jacobs English folk tale is for the edition retold and illustrated by Evaline Ness.

Parental Content Advisory: Be advised, similar to Hansel and Gretel, this tale has child kidnapping, attempted murder and cannibalism.

[MangoLoverReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 — For some reason, that remains a mystery to me I LOVED this book as a young child. We would take trips to the library and I would read this over and over. My parents were horrified I’m sure. But I turned out alright! I’m not certain if it speaks to a past life of mine or what on earth it could be. The story is pretty scary and I’ve no idea why on earth it would be considered a children’s story, let alone be in the children’s section of our nearest library. I’m sure by now it is no longer and perhaps even ‘banned or shunned’ like a number of other stories from then.

It is an ’old’ English tale, I’m sure meant to frighten children in to not wandering too far from home. Many of the ‘children’s’ stories from the 1800s had a similar type of message and were horrible and terrifying! ...ever read the original Grimm’s tales that the Grimms brothers gathered from that era...? Eeeeek!!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tale of Mr. Miacca who snatches bad children and eats them. Tommy Grimes who was sometimes a good boy, and sometimes bad, and when he was bad he was very bad, but he also had a bit of a quick with about him, and that is what he needed to escape the clutches of Mr. Miacca, and avoid his cooking pot.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 1 out of 5]

My wife loves this book, but I kinda think it sucks. No plot build-up; just that kid is sometimes bad so wonderful parent tells him not to go out lest Mr Miacca will get him. And boil him up and eat him. With his nice wife concurring. Pretty creepy for a kids book. Don't know how many copies were sold but it has only like 6 pages of text so the author made a killing on a per word basis. Horrible book.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is scary as fuck. The folk could certainly tell frightening tales. "Don't talk to strangers" certainly is one interpretation, although I don't think the boy Tommy in this story did anything except venture outside, against the specific instructions of his mother. There is that bit of Little Red Riding Hood ("don't stray from the path, don't talk to strangers") and part Jack in the Beanstalk and part Hansel and Gretel (cannibalism, being a trickster to escape). Evaline Ness always has the strangest, richest illustrations.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Miacca: An English Folk Tale (1967) by Evaline Ness is a creepy little story that reminds me of Hansel and Gretal meets Charles Dickens. It's about a bad little boy named Tommy Grimes whose mother warns him not to go on a certain street. So Tommy does and is kidnapped by the evil Mr. Miacca who loves to eat children. When Tommy escapes he again goes against his mother and is kidnapped by Mr. Miacca. Will Tommy escape this second time? But more importantly, will Tommy ever learn not to be kidnapped by a cannibal again? Love the darkness, but didn't like the ending. It was too rushed. But the illustrations are gorgeous. Wish Ness had illustrated a Charles Dickens novel. My rating - 4/5

[Nanny B · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is an older book from the 1960's based on an English Folk Tale, but I have trouble with books where the characters try to eat children.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of lacking in the ending department. Nice pictures, as usual.

[SmokingMirror · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit odd, but it shows that breaking bounds has benefits as well as detriments.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book was my favorite when I was little. It's a little weird but teaches us to listen to your mom.