How Jack outwits those big old giants and saves his own hide is the heart of this funny tall tale from the award-winning creator of Fearless Jack.

Storytelling World HONOR BOOK AWARD 2003

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly Down-home storytelling and comic pictures of silly giants enliven Johnson's (Fearless Jack) newest tale of the Appalachian boy-hero Jack. The climactic illustrations show Jack convincing the two giants to hide down in the well, then kicking up "the awfullest ruckus you ever heard" to imitate the sound of the approaching posse; in the end, Jack cuts the bucket rope with a handy ax. This snappy story delivers a giant-size good time. Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal The acrylic illustrations firmly ground this tall tale in Appalachia and capture its folksy feel-from Jack's bemused hound-dog companion to the giant's checkerboard pants. The liberal use of similes and metaphors, as well as the moderate but humorous dialect, assure a fun read-aloud. From the eye-catching cover of the two-headed giant licking his lips as he contemplates Jack to the author's note briefly tracing the "Jack Tale" tradition, this down-home yarn is a fine sequel to Fearless Jack (McElderry, 2001) and a solid stand-alone addition to trickster-tale storytimes. Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist  Acrylic paints applied in splotches and daubs pelt the background of the first double spread, drenching young Jack and his hound when they are caught in an Appalachian downpour. A remote farmhouse beckons, but inside reside a two-headed giant and his wife, who hanker for a meaty diversion from cornmeal mush. If Jack is to save his skin from the skillet, he must foil the giants' sinister intentions. Appalachian dialect, down-home common sense, and quick-thinking Jack's nimble wit provide humor and a just resolution to the precarious predicaments. When faced, for example, with the impossible task of toting a giant-size water bucket, Jack reacts calmly: "Thought I'd just carry the creek up there so you wouldn't have to walk so far for wash water." When the wife protests, Jack responds, "Well, if you won't let me carry the creek up there, I'm sure not going to fool with one little ol' bucket." The hilariously hideous giant and his wife heighten the fun in this bright, new twist to a familiar folktale. Ellen Mandel Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Fearless Jack written and illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, Reading level: Ages 4-8, School & Library Binding - 32 pages (June 2001), Margaret McElderry;
         ISBN: 0689832966  

    "Back some time ago when folks still had to worry about giants and wild unicorns and such, there was an old woman and her son, Jack."
    So begins this tall tale from the heart of Appalachia about Jack, a boy who goes out to seek his fortune (accompanied by his faithful, although somewhat cowardly, hound) and winds up face-to-face with some pretty ornery critters!
    How Jack manages to overcome each varmint one by one -- without even meaning to! -- is the heart of this funny, boisterous story from an award-winning artist.

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly The grainy texture of acrylic on canvas lends an appropriately homespun feel to this telling of an Appalachian variant of Jack and the Giant Killer. ... Johnson's (The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down) folksy narrative style ("Jack lit out with the wild unicorn no more than a frog's hair behind") has almost as much color as the sun-dappled countryside evoked in his energetic paintings. Swiftly unfolding from a variety of perspectives, the action-packed scenes amplify the story's humor. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist In an Appalachian twang, complete with distinct vocabulary and speech patterns, Johnson's colorful, comical, sturdy pictures are just as energetic as the story which is told. Shelley Townsend-Hudson Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Horn Book ...Paul Brett Johnson draws on tales he heard as a boy for this lively, updated rendition..... The aw-shucks tone is just right for this wily, self-deprecating hero. ... Copyright 2001 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Goose Who Went Off in a Huff written and illustrated by by Paul Brett Johnson, Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover (April 2001) Orchard Books;

             ISBN: 0531303179  

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly Magnolia the goose, who made a cameo appearance in Johnson's The Pig Who Ran a Red Light, becomes an adoptive mother in this third book about an unconventional farm. Amid a rural vista of steep blue hillsides, wood-frame barns and a dusty dirt path, Magnolia plays with a rubber ducky. Later, she sits on a basket of Easter eggs. "Magnolia wants to be a mama," realizes Miss Rosemary, a white-haired, spinsterly farmer. "Well, quit your fretting, dear. That sort of thing happens in its own good time." When Magnolia gets offended and gives this book its title, her barnyard friends fear that she has run off to join the Ding-a-Ling Circus, conspicuously advertised on the endpapers and on a poster that adorns a ramshackle shed. Johnson piques interest in the circus, then avoids doing the expected. Magnolia is not interested in show-biz, and a placard touting the "world's cutest baby elephant" offers the real key to the outcome. Johnson plays to his fans with bit parts for Gertrude the cow and George the pig (who don baby bonnets and "gosling" beaks to assuage Magnolia's maternal instincts), and provides his trademark, light-speckled Appalachian settings. With the addition of the elephant, he sacrifices a modicum of rustic charm, but sets up a sequel to this tall tale: the Ding-a-Ling Circus promises to return "same time next year." Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist  One of the best things about this comical book is the way Johnson makes his heroine look huffy and haughty and put-upon. His acrylic illustrations are a hoot, filled with details to engage children: an old lady's false teeth on the nightstand; a pig and a cow disguised as geese. The story is as funny as the pictures. Miss Rosemary, an old lady with a droopy bosom, can't figure out why Magnolia the goose has started acting strangely. Instead of doing what geese do, Magnolia tries to hatch Easter eggs and take Dotty Sue's chicks for a swim. When Miss Rosemary tells the silly goose to behave, Magnolia hustles away, feelings hurt. It seems she's not ornery; she just wants to be a mama, a dream humorously resolved when a visiting circus trains pulls out of town leaving something behind. Connie Fletcher Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Old Dry Frye: A Deliciously Funny Tall Tale by Paul Brett Johnson Reading level: Ages 4-8 - 40 pages  Scholastic Trade;  Reading level: Ages 4-8 (April 2001)

    Hardback ISBN: 0590376586    

    Paperback - (May 2001) ISBN: 0439163927     

Everybody knows Old Dry Frye. Hes so crazy about fried chicken that hes got a reputation as large as his appetite. When he swallows a chicken bone, Fryes friends panic and ignite a series of uproarious adventures!

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY "100" LIST

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews Johnson's over-the-top, humorous portrayal of the citizens' frenzied actions and reactions rescue the tale from excessive morbidity. Although the text does not refer to it, the illustrations show Frye coughing up his chicken bone during the chaotic and hilarious denouement. Told in the melodious twang of mountain vernacular, Johnson's story rumbles along to its own beat, an outrageously ghoulish tale to make story-hour listeners shiver. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8) -- Copyright 1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Horn Book In the energetic illustrations for this humorous new version of an Appalachian tale, Johnson suggests that Old Dry Frye may have survived his ordeal after all. -- Copyright 1999 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Mr. Persnickety and the Cat Lady by Paul Brett Johnson (author and Illustrator), Reading level: Ages 4-8,
Hardcover - 32 pages (September 2000), Orchard Books; 

              ISBN: 0531302830   

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal  Cat Lady is the proud owner of 37 felines. Her next-door neighbor, Mr. Persnickety, tries everything to get rid of them: squirting a garden hose at them, blaring a recording of 100 barking dogs, and complaining to the Humane Society. All of his efforts are in vain; in fact, the Humane Society gives Cat Lady an "Award of Excellence." She quickly tires of Mr. Persnickety's pranks and sneaks some mice inside his house. The rodents "multiplied like mushrooms," invading every crevice of his home, and making a nest in his favorite teddy bear. The look on the man's face at this indignity is worth the price of the book. Mr. Persnickety is forced to ask his neighbor and her cats for help. The story ends with the two on the verge of friendship, but the last page hints that there may still be trouble ahead. The brightly colored acrylic illustrations mirror the humorous text in perfect balance; the double-page spreads are the most pleasing. Pair this hilarious picture book with Paul Brett Johnson's The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (Orchard, 1993) for a rollicking storyhour.-Meghan R. Malone, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Bearhide and Crow written and illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, Reading level: Ages 4-8, School & Library Binding - 32 pages (March 2000) Holiday House;

          ISBN: 0823414701     

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist Amos, a happy-go-lucky young farmer who can't resist a trade, does business with shifty Sam Hankins by swapping one of his wife's prize-winning gourds for a moth-eaten bearskin. With the help of a crow (which, according to Appalachian lore, can learn to speak), Amos sets the "bargain" right, cleverly getting back at Sam, ridding himself of both bearskin and crow, and coming into a comfortable sum of money. Johnson's bright, earth-toned illustrations capture the locale and humor of the story, and the cadence of the narrative makes the book a natural read-aloud. This is an original story with twentieth-century characters, but it has the flavor of an Appalachian folktale and can be read as a modern variation on traditional trickster tales from other cultures. Link it with a Coyote story from the Southwest, one of Paul Goble's Iktomi books, and Eric Kimmel's Anansi and the Talking Melon (1995) to create an amusing multicultural storytime, especially for second-or third-graders. Catherine Andronik

THE PIG WHO RAN A RED LIGHT, a companion book to THE COW WHO WOULDN'T COME DOWN.
Paul Brett Johnson, Author and Illustrator. Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover - 32 pages (March 1999) Orchard Books;  
                ISBN: 0531301362            
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist  Miss Rosemary's pig, George, has taken to mimicking the antics of Gertrude the cow, causing considerable problems. But Miss Rosemary has a plan. She has a long talk with Gertrude, who suddenly begins acting like a pig, oinking, snorting, and even wallowing happily in the mud. George is puzzled at first, but soon he is wallowing like an old pro. Miss Rosemary is quite pleased with herself--until Magnolia the goose begins oinking. Johnson's animated illustrations are wonderfully expressive and filled with zany animal antics, making them a perfect complement to the slapstick humor of the story. Some youngsters will remember Gertrude from Johnson's wacky, well-received debut The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (1993), which can be paired with this book for a fun-filled story time. Lauren Peterson Copyright 1999, American Library Association. All rights reserved
From School Library Journal "Johnson, who regaled readers with The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (Orchard, 1993), returns with a sequel that is equally hilarious. 'Ever since Gertrude [the cow] had taken up flying, there had been no living with George [the pig],' this story begins.... The story's silliness will delight children, who will find the animals' antics downright funny, while a subtler level of humor will appeal to a slightly older crowd."

A PERFECT  PORK STEW, Paul Brett Johnson, Author and Illustrator Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover - 1699 pages (March 1998) Orchard Books; 

 ISBN: 0531300706     

Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner

Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews , 01/01/98: Johnson (Farmers' Market, 1997, etc.) concocts his own silly story from the elements of Russian folktales. Baba Yaga is a witch who gets up on the wrong side of the bed, which skewers events for the rest of the day. First she burns the creature she's toasting for breakfast; next she breaks her spectacles. When she sees Ivan pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt up the road, her weak eyesight makes her think she sees a pig instead of a pile of clods. Longing for pork stew, she tries to trick Ivan into trading the ``pig'' for a magic turnip. When her stew tastes like the dirt it is, Ivan suggests adding a turnip. For his turnip, she trades with Ivan again, this time giving him a cabbage. And so it goes, until Ivan finally acquires a real pig, while Baba Yaga gets a belly ache, with burps that taste of soil. Johnson's tale entertains, while his fuzzy pastel drawings keep the wart-nosed witch from being too scary, and place the story in a Russia of onion-dome churches and countryside dachas. (Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright 1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FARMERS' MARKET, by Paul Brett Johnson, author and illustrator, Spring 1997 Orchard,   
                               ISBN 0-531-30014-5     

Selected by Smithsonian Magazine for its "Notable Children's Books" list.

Editorial Reviews
From BOOKLIST On summer Saturdays, young Laura and her family get up before dawn, pack their truck with fresh vegetables, and drive to the Farmers' Market. There they set up shop, later Laura takes a break to explore with her friend Betsy. The girls find a dollar bill - enough for ice-cream treats - and then return to their families to pack up and drive home.Good Choice for Summer Story Hours....
From Kirkus Reviews , 02/15/97 "... A double-sized foldout spread shows Laura exploring four parts of the crowded, colorful market. From Johnson (with Celeste Lewis, Lost, 1996), an appealing story of a hardworking family and a little girl who knows how to do her job and have fun at the same time." -- Copyright 1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Horn Book . Textured color paintings rendered on canvas convey the bustle of the city market, and a four-page fold-out presents a panoramic view of the market. -- Copyright 1997 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE COW WHO WOULDN'T COME DOWN, by Paul Brett Johnson, author and illustrator, Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover - 32 pages (March 1993)   Orchard.     
HARDBACK ISBN 0531054810  

PAPERBACK  ISBN 0531070913  

"It's a known fact cows don't fly," says Miss Rosemary, but apparently Gertrude has not heard. She's the picture of bovine grace as she glides over the farm. With dogged determination, the elderly women sets about bringing Gertrude down.      

Starred Review and Best Book in School Library Journal
Blue Ribbon in the Bulletin, Kentucky Bluegrass Award.

The Best Kind of Gift by Kathi Appelt (Author), Paul Brett Johnson (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: Hardcover 32 pages ; Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (April 15, 2003)

ISBN: 0688153925  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal . . . Like Cynthia Rylant's When I Was Young in the Mountains (Dutton, 1982) and Libba Moore Gray's My Mama Had a Dancing Heart (Orchard, 1996), this title captures the warmth of an Appalachian community, and Johnson's convivial paintings make both the setting and the characters shine. What could have been an often-told story of the search for the perfect present is instead a welcome slice of life. Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.