Larky Mavis

Larky Mavis by Cole, Brock. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780374343651.

Another orginal picture-book fairy tale Larky Mavis, an eccentric soul, finds three peanuts in the middle of the road. The first tastes like liver and onions. The second, like bread pudding. And the third -- well, inside the third is a baby. Larky Mavis decides to name it Hearts Delight and to take care of it. She shows it to the teacher, and he says it looks like a worm. She asks the parson to christen it, but he thinks its a mouse. And when she asks the doctor to help her teach the baby to say "Ma," he thinks its a deformed bird. And indeed, Hearts Delight has sprouted wings. As Maviss charge grows and grows, readers will recognize that Hearts Delight is something akin to an angel, and the townspeople also realize that it is something special, but they want to take it away. And as much as Larky Mavis tries to protect Hearts Delight, it is the peanut-shell baby who turns out to be Maviss savior in the end. This unusual tale is illustrated by the author in lively watercolors.