Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud

by Gris Grimley

Crafting a story rooted in his admiration of Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, and Dr. Seuss, Grimly presents more than 40 pieces of richly detailed artwork that accompanies a story about a down-and-out yet optimistic lad, a mad hare, a knight, and a muddy spud. Full color.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Poetry

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2005

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

King Gris presents a dusty fairy tale that reminds me of those endless video games my kids play where they don't seem to do much but walk around and talk to creatures in shiny costumes.

Here our little Jordan is looking to sell his family's only possession, but ends up doing all sorts of favors for strange creatures who dwell in caves and under the sea.





It's a weird, surrealistic adventure, with Grimly's artwork a treasure on every page.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an oddly pretty picture book. The illustrations are otherworldly and even a little confusing, but they transport you into this strange, sort of scary world where a muddy spud and a little bit of bravery can save the day.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family of three sat still at their table.
They had rats in their floor and bats in their gable.
Their cupboards were empty and they had no heat.
Their harvest had withered and so had their meat.
All that they had was a large lumpy spud
that they'd found in the field all covered with mud.

I have adored all things Gris Grimly since I read The Dangerous Alphabet and Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia. So when we spotted this in a local charity shop, it was added to our impressive haul.

This felt more like an art book than a children's poetical adventure. Being oversized, means each page allows for Grimly to fully utilise his talent and produce illustrations that truly blew me away.

Little Jordan Ray is sent to market with nothing but a muddy spud. Along the way he meets a cast of mysterious and fascinating characters who all have a specific need, which isn't a muddy spud.

I will be secretly hoping to find another copy so we can frame a number of the illustrations. 5 stars.

[Carfig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! GG's wild illustrations help to move this story along, about a boy needing to trade a muddy spud for enough money to feed his family during a drought. A Jack and the Beanstalk adventure with more riches than imaginable at the end. And an end to the drought as well!

Worked with Neil Gaimon on The Dangerous Alphabet

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, muted, and weirdly illustrated tale of a little boy with a big heart, on a quest to help out his impoverished family. It reminds the reader that not everything you might thing strange or ugly is what it seems.

Perfect gift for very young, and young at heart, readers.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun, with a male protagonist that you "root" for wholeheartedly.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a signed first edition the other day mainly because of how creepy it looked. I loved reading this to my little girl and she loved it. Really good illustrations and a whitty story... I loved it!

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent adventure, beautiful illustrations, just lovely all around :)

[Arien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustration and story--good for kids who like creepy pics, but do not like/are not ready for gore.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An abridge version of Edgar Allen Poe's tales. Contains four stories. The illustrations enhance the retelling of Poe's work.

[Stephanie Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable adventure. I thought I might read this in preschool storytime, but I'm not sure all the mothers would approve. Sad, for Ais would have loved this in preschool/kindergarten.

[Whitney Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing :)