Author(s): Eric Maddern

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When a forest traveller knocks at a lonely cottage, hoping to scrounge a bed for the night, a scowling woman appears and says he can sleep on the floor, but declares that she hasn't a morsel of food in the place. "In that case," says the traveller, "I'll have to share what I've got with you." And, taking an old, rusty, four-inch nail from his pocket, he starts to make nail soup. In his delightful retelling of this trickster tale known throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, Eric Maddern shows how a merry fellow can soften the heart of even a mean and grumpy woman. Paul Hess's post-modern illustrations will bring a smile to the face of everyone who reads it.