Sausages

by Jessica Souhami

”Be careful what you wish for!” When a poor woodcutter named John helps an elf in distress, the elf rewards him with three magic wishes. As John and Martha sit dreaming about what they could ask for, a chance remark by John prompts the appearance of some sizzling, succulent sausages! But the argument this causes between the couple leads to a very silly situation, which only their last remaining wish can put right. Jessica Souhami’s gorgeous cut-paper artwork and short, rhythmic text make this a perfect book for younger children or for sharing in a read-aloud.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Fairy Tales, Folklore, Folk Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2006

About the author

Jessica Souhami studied at the Central School of Art and Design which was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England.

In 1980 she formed Mme Souhami and Co, a travelling puppet company using colourful shadow puppets with a musical accompaniment and a storyteller. Her illustrations, like her puppets, use brilliant colour and bold shapes and her characters leap and swoop across the spreads.

In October 2008 Jessica Souhami, along with other well know illustrators, contributed an artwork which was used in the film, We Are All Born Free. Amnesty International hosted a special launch event for this universal declaration of human rights.

Her many titles for Frances Lincoln Publishers are ‘Sausages!’, ‘In the Dark, Dark Wood’, ‘Baba Yaga and the Stolen Baby’, ‘The Leopard’s Drum’, ‘No Dinner!’, ‘Rama and the Demon King’, ‘The Famous Adventures of a Bird Brained Hen’, ‘The Little, Little House’, ‘Mrs McCool and the Giant Cuchulainn’ and ‘King Pom’ and ‘Foxy’.

Jessica lives in North London.

Reviews

[Jenna Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, John, came in contact with a little wish granting elf. The elf gave him 3 things to wish for. John went home and told his wife all about it. While they were dreaming about all the fabulous things they could get, John gets hungry and poorly uses to word wish. He wishes for some sausages for dinner. And what does he get within seconds... sausages. His wife gets angry with him and wishes the sausages were stuck to his nose. and poof they are stuck to his nose. They try and try to get them off but they could not. Him and his wife go back and forth with each other because of their poor word choices. Once things settle, they both realize that as long as they are together it does not matter how rick they are. They will always love each other.

I enjoyed this book. It was humorous and kept my attention. It has a really sweet story and can be liked by all ages.

This book can be used the an elementary classroom. It can be used for when taking about how poor choice of words can effect others. And it can make it interactive with the readers. You could ask what they would wish for if they got three free wishes.

[Caleb Ensminger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a woodcutter named John. John is a woodcutter and he finds a little elf stuck in a tree. The elf was very thankful and he gave John 3 wishes. John rushed home to discuss with his with on what they should wish for. They really wanted their wishes to make them rich. John and his wife took a while to make their wishes and John got very hungry. He then said that he wished he had a bunch of sausages, and his wish came true. His wife got upset and accidentally said she wishes that sausages were stuck to his nose, and that's what happened. They pulled and pulled on the sausages to get unstuck, but it just wouldn't happen. So then they had to use their last wish to get the sausages off of his nose. John then said to his wife that even though they didn't become rich, they still had each other.

I could use this book when I am trying to show students the importance of being grateful for what they have. John and his wife wanted to get rich and that didn't happen, but they were still grateful to have each other.

[Meg Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to end the day with in school. Contains some alliteration. Moral- be careful what you wish for? Lighthearted.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this updated retelling of the well-known European folktale “The Three Wishes,” a kind and simple man rescues an elf who is caught on a thorn in a rose bush. In return for his good deed, the elf grants him three wishes and warns him to “be careful what (he) wish(es) for.” Jubilant, the man returns home to his wife and shares the news of their good fortune. Right away, the two begin dreaming about the wonderful riches and glorious things they might wish for—and trying to be extremely deliberate about the wishes they spend so long thinking about them that the man becomes hungry and unwittingly “wastes” one of the wishes on some sausages for dinner. An argument ensues and soon wishes are being tossed about willy-nilly and the sausages wind up on the man’s nose. With only one wish left, how will they make all their dreams come true? Souhami’s brightly colored, naïve illustration style, and simple cartoon-like lines pay homage to this comical, traditional tale while at the same time making it feel more current. The couple not only dream of fancy castles, but also a car, and the argument that seemed so churlish and mean-spirited in the original, seems to have a bit more heart in this re-telling, ultimately ending up on a happy note as the husband and wife delight in their love for each other and the very excellent sausage dinner they enjoy as the elf mischievously flies away. This book would be appropriate for older preschoolers and kindergartners who will enjoy the silly humor of the sausages being stuck on the end of someone’s nose, as well as other nuances in the story that might be lost on a younger audience. For an extension idea, I might ask the children what they would wish for if they were given three wishes. For additional silliness and fun I might cut out and laminate paper “Sausages” like the ones in the story and play a game of “There’s a Sausage on my Nose” (to the tune of “There’s a Spider on the Floor” by Raffi. Make up silly rhymes as you place the sausage on different parts of the body and then “wish” it away to another part of the body or onto a friend’s body part. Play the game a second time a little bit faster. (example: There’s a sausage on my nose, on my nose 2x, There’s a sausage on my nose, and it’s long just like a hose, there’s a sausage on my nose on my nose! Oh I wish it would go away! Now there’s a sausage on my hair, on my hair 2x, well there’s a sausage on my hair, now how did it get there? There’s a sausage on my hair on my hair! Oh I wish it would go away! etc.)

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute story about a husband and wife who rescue an elf and are granted three wishes. They end up making ridiculous wishes by accident when they argue and are left barely better off than they started. It's short enough for storytime and the illustrations are charming and look like paper cut outs and droplets of paint.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's variant and illustrations for The Three Wishes folk-motif dating back to ancient India and Greece. Indeed this coupe squandered their three wishes on sausages which makes for a funny story with a very good ending.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recall reading other versions of the original folk-tale, but this version seems more good-spirited. The clean papercut illustrations were wonderfully done and made me crave some sizzling, succulent sausages.

[CalamityMane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute retelling of this fairy tale. I like the fact the wife is just frustrated, not a shrew. I really appreciated that. The illustrations are lovely. Very quick read, so maybe a good one for the little one who always wants one more story before bed.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo much fun to read aloud. My 5 year old niece loved acting it out!
Huge hit with Kindergarten and First grade classes

[Jeanette Devereux · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOD WORK BY JESSICA, VERY NICE AND FULL OF MEANING. DRAWINGS VERY GOOD AND EASY FOR KIDS EYES. SHE IS FUN AND CLEVER OBVIOUSLY.

[Kayla]

In the bok, John found an elf stuck on a rose thorn. John helped the elf off and set it free. The elf wanted to thank him so he gave him 3 wishes but told him to careful with them. He ran home to tell the great news to his wife. They thought long and hard about what they might wish for. They then decided to take a break and think about dinner. John begins to crave sausages and wished he had that to eat. Well, his first wished had come true. He got some sausage for dinner. His wife, now furious with him, said that she wished they would be attached at the end of his nose, and of course, they got stuck there. They could not get them off so they had to use their final wish to get them off of his nose. All of their wishes were gone and they did not mean to make any of them.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I thought it was cute. I think kids would love this book because it has some humor in it and they can understand what is going on.

I would use this in a lower elementary class. It could teach children to be careful how they make decisions and to not be greedy with what you have. I would use this book as a fun read in class as well.