Clay Boy

by Mirra Ginsburg, Jos. A Smith (Illustrator)

An insatiable boy made of clay devours everything in sight until a fiesty goat ruins his appetite. Vibrant paintings invigorate this retelling of a Russian folktale.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Mirra Ginsburg was a Jewish Russian-American translator of Russian literature, a collector of folk tales and a children's writer. Born in Bobruisk (then part of the Russian Empire, now part of modern-day Belarus) in 1909, she moved with her family to Latvia, then to Canada, before they settled in the United States. Although she won praise for her translations of adult literature, including the Master and Margarita (1967) by Mikhail Bulgakov and We (1972) by Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin, she is perhaps most celebrated for her contributions to children's literature. She collected and translated a vast array of folktales from the Russian tradition, as well as Siberian and Central Asian traditions. Ginsburg died in 2000.

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Clay Boy” is an ancient Russian folktale retold by Mirra Ginsburg and vividly illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Even though “Clay Boy” has an interesting plot and beautiful pictures, the story and some of the images may be too scary for kids to handle.

Mirra Ginsburg creates the perfect horror/adventurous story about a greedy clay boy’s attempts to eat everything in its path until he meets a clever goat who puts an end to him. Jos. A. Smith’s illustrations are somewhat disturbing yet beautiful at the same time as the couple’s appearances are portrayed as innocent and fun-loving people who just wanted a child, while Clay Boy’s appearance is grotesque and disturbing.

Parents should know that this book is extremely disturbing. The clay boy is more like a scary version of “The Gingerbread Man” as he greedily eats everyone he meets without any cause. Also, the images might be too much for younger children as they vividly display the Clay Boy eating up all the village people and his facial expressions immediately disappear as he scrunches up his face looking like clay covering up someone. The image that would most likely scare off children would be the image where the Clay Boy is eating up the peasant and his horse as he gobbles up the peasant and the horse tries to run away in terror from the now monstrous clay boy.

For children who love scary books, “Clay Boy” is definitely for them. But, because the pictures tend to be too vivid and the clay boy too grotesque, children younger than seven would definitely have nightmares about “Clay Boy.” I would strongly suggest reading “The Gingerbread Man” to your child rather than this book.

[Joyce Munzwandi]

This is a kind of weird story but quite hilarious. I think the students will not stop laughing at he level of greed displayed by the clay boy. Students can talk about quantities and measurement. Students can use this to expand their imagination by suggesting what they would have done if they were the parents of the clay boy.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a bit I was thinking, wow, this is kind of morbid. Then, hooray goat!

I guess the moral of the story is be happy when your kids are gone, don't make clay kids because that is certainly no substitute for real ones (especially if they are really hungry clay kids), and always keep a goat around because you never know when you'll need it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic and vivid paintings enliven this tale of a clay boy created by some lonely grandparents, who then becomes a ravenous creature who ends up eating them and everything in the village. The paintings have interesting perspectives, and the fonts used for the story itself help to tell the story. Luckily, a clever goat breaks the clay monster and the spell, and is celebrated by all the grateful survivors who come out alive from his stomach. If only we could shatter the hideous monsters who threaten our culture and world as we know it, and restore the order! Here is a little explanation of the origins of this tale -- handed down in the oral tradition, from grandparents to children and to your children....
"A Yiddish and Slavic folktale is the Clay Boy, which combines elements of the Golem and The Gingerbread Man, in which a lonely couple make a child out of clay, with disastrous or comical consequences.[33] In one common Russian version, an older couple whose children have left home make a boy out of clay, and dry him by their hearth. The Clay Boy comes to life; at first the couple are delighted and treat him like a real child, but the Clay Boy does not stop growing, and eats all their food, then all their livestock, and then the Clay Boy eats his parents. The Clay Boy rampages through the village until he is smashed by a quick-thinking goat.[34]

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grandma and Grandpa are lonely after all their kids grow up and leave them, so Grandpa uses extra clay to make a clay boy. As he dries and comes to life, he begins to want more and more food until they cannot feed him anymore. After running out of food, the clay boy cried again, “More! More!” and went outside to eat all the animals, Grandpa and Grandma, and then the whole time. As he walks through the town he runs into a goat who tells clay boy to close his eyes so he can jump into his mouth. The clay boy does as he is told and the goat rams into the boy’s stomach with his horns, causing him to shatter open, saving all the people who were eaten. The people of the town celebrate the goat who saved them from the greedy boy.

This book was filled with illustrations that took up both pages and could tell the story even if there were no words. This story would be very important to help children learn about greed and why it is a bad thing. However, the story itself appears very dark for a child to read and the idea of a clay boy eating the town may not be the best fit for all children. I would recommend this book to children who are out of preschool to teach a lesson about the consequences of greed. But I would recommend reading the story with a positive voice and not making the story scarier with how it is read to the children.

[AJ Hollis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins with a Grandpa and Grandma whose children have grown up so Grandpa makes a "clay boy" and he comes alive. He is greedy and eats up all of their food, their animals and even them. He proceeds then to go and eat other people and things in the village until he comes across a goat who leaps into his belly, freeing all of the animals and people who were previously eaten. they dance and celebrate the cleverness of the goat.

The theme is about greediness and how detrimental it can be. Also, it highlights passing down stories from one generation to the next.

As I read this book I was saddened seeing the animals and the different people be eaten but I was hopeful that someone would save the day. I really liked the pictures and the creativity of a goat saving the day.

I would recommend this book because it is valuable for kids to understand how greed can cause harm and can slowly grow bigger and bigger.

[Raquel Pilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of elderly people decide to be parents again. In order to do that, they build a boy made out of clay. What they did not expect, though, was that the boy was starving all. the. time! And ended up eating everything (literally, everything, including its parents) in its way... That is, until a clever goat stopped that.
This is an adaptation of a Russian folktale that was a bit strange to me. But as strange as it can be, there are many ways to work with children! The illustrations are delightful 😊

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A retelling of a Russian folktale about an old couple that make a little clay boy and it comes to life (sort of similar at the beginning to the story of the gingerbread man), but it demands more and more food, and keeps growing, and eventually devours a whole town, and the only thing that stands in its way is a goat . . .

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this one. I thought it would be a cute book to read to my daughter but a clay boy created by a grandma and grandpa who eats the whole town including them then rescued by a goat...uh, NO!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Russian folktale about being careful about what you wish for or you will get eaten by a clay boy and a ram will save you.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy cow! I joked that he would eat the people that made him. Funny thing.... Silly story.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super effective horror story with a better twist ending than m night shyamalan.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was never fond of the more grim versions of Red Riding Hood etc., and I'm not of this, either. Some might find it funny, which may or may not have been the author's intention.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This makes me think of golems.

[Nolan Brendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because it was really funny and I also liked the story.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a scary story

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folktale that's a bit disturbing but still fun. Similar to Jack Kent's The Fat Cat.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

FEED ME MORE!

A lonely old couple constructs a boy out of clay. He turns out to be very HUNGRY, and swallows all humans and livestock who cross his path . . . all but one that is.

This is a nicely illustrated take on an old folktale. I really liked that the humble goat was the hero of the story. True, it's a slightly darker fairy tale, but if your kids can handle Little Red Riding Hood and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, they should be fine with this story of overindulgence.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grandma and Grandpa are lonely so they create a little clay boy. After he is put into the oven to dry, he comes out alive and hungry. The Clay Boy eats all the food in the house, he then eats Grandma and Grandpa, all the animals and all the villagers. It isn't until a goat with golden eyes appears that everyone is rescued.

This book is disturbing. I would definitely not recommend it for very young children. The Clay Boy is never redeemed even though all the villagers and animals are saved. The expressions on the Clay Boy's face while he is eating everyone are not for the faint of heart. Clay Boy is definitely a villain and this book could be a little scary for some kids.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book based upon the cute pictures. Unfortunately it has a touch of scary Grimm fairy tales to it. (The clay boy eats the Grandpa and Grandma who created him.) This book may be no big deal to some, but could be frightening for other children. References to greed and handing stories down through the family are minimally made at the end that I don't see much value in reading this one. Not enough positive to outweigh the negative, in my opinion.

[Corey Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting/morbid Russian Folk-tale that I would feel would captivate many elementary students. However, this book would disturb many other students with the use of paintings of the Clay Boy and from most of the choices the Clay Boy. Clay Boy is a decent folk tale to implement into the classroom because it spices up this genre and provides something different for most of the classroom to enjoy.

[Sheniqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lonely grandma and grandpa decide to make themselves a clay boy. They feed him and he just won't stop eating. He's get so huge he begins eating everything in site, including grandma and grandpa both. This story could be used to discuss adaptations and in math to talk about measurement and the instruments used to measure with.

[KarenMLISt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are charming _except_ for the clay boy. He kind of gave me the heebeejeebees. But the story would be fine for a K-1 readaloud, as long as the pictures of the clay son eating his sweet parents didn't disturb them too much. Probably better for upper elementary grades as part of a folktale/lore genre study.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book. I read it to my students every year and they never tire of it. My daughter used it in a summer art class for elementary students and they requested that she read it every day that week. It lends itself well to voices and is a good tale about greed.

[Jason Gossard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite children's book by far. The Gingerbread Man gone wrong- horribly wrong. Instead of coming to life and running away, Clay Boy turns the tables and eats the entire village. Illustrations crack me up every time. Simple yet perfect.

[Karenpetersen26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most random picture book.... The only reason it is getting 4 stars from me is because my kids love it!!! I also picked this book for it's pictures... Not knowing how strange the story was! Oh, well my 5 year old is getting a lot of laughs!

[Khalid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was great. When the old grandpa made the clay. The clay always wanted to eat food and basically everything. When the white hero goat leaped on the fat belly of the clay. The clay started to break into pieces and everybody danced around the little goat.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandpa builds a clay boy since they don't have children anymore. No matter how much they feed him, he wants more. Eventually he eats Grandma and Grandpa. The goat saves the town from this fate.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Grimm fairy tale like book adapted from a Russian story. Could be disturbing to some children. One of my boys had to have this book and the other looked kind of freaked out while reading it.

[Suburban Homeschooler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the art a little off-putting.