The Hired Hand - Softcover

Remember the sorcerer's apprentice? He had problems with his boss's spells, but at least he never killed anybody. In this African-American folk tale with roots in many cultures, author Robert D. San Souci takes a similar legend and dumps it in the lap of a lazy, selfish boy. Sam won't help out at the mill, and his father handles everything until the day the hired hand arrives. The new employee is a model worker, but he's got other skills, too. Magic ones. Sam tries a few of the newcomer's tricks, and nearly ends up in prison. He ends up wiser instead. As usual, Jerry Pinkney's illustrations add lyric beauty, emotional heft, and a sense of "once upon a time" to this well-told tale.

[Suggested for, but not limited to ages 5-9. The story is an ageless folktale and the illustrations have universal appeal.]

Robert D. San Souci lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Jerry Pinkney lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.