ANNOTATION

Four tales include "The Old Man Who Said 'Why'," "The Elephant and The Butterfly," "The House That Ate Mosquito Pie," and "The Little Girl Named I..

FROM THE PUBLISHER

These whimsical, timeless tales, by one of our most treasured poets, will appeal to any generation.

The four tales in this enchanting, newly illustrated volume, tell of lonely and extraordinary characters finding friendship in unlikely companions. In "The Old Man Who Said Why" a wise fairy's kind nature is taxed when one old man's questions throw the entire heavens into madness. In "The Elephant and the Butterfly" and "The House That Ate Mosquito Pie" shyness is overcome by the compelling love of new friends. "The Little Girl Named I" is a conversation between the author and a small girl, in the manner of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.

Clever, insightful, and magical, peopled with vivid characters—a house that prefers one bird to any human inhabitants, an elephant paralyzed with delight, a fairy who "always breakfasted on light and silence"—here are tales as only Cummings could write them. A delightful and surprising gift for anyone, young or old. 21 watercolors.

Author Biography: E. E. Cummings's (1894-1962) work, including The Complete Poems, is published by Liveright.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Meilo So's airy watercolors make an ideal pairing for a quartet of fantastical tales of elephants, fairies and other creatures, Fairy Tales by E.E. Cummings. "The Elephant and the Butterfly" and "The House That Ate Mosquito Pie," both stories of love between unexpected parties, benefit from So's compositions, which match Cummings's tales for warmth and optimism. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal