When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew: Tales of Ti-Jean

In these three imaginative stories, Jan Andrews introduces us to Quebec’s traditional folktale hero, Ti-Jean. He’s an endearing character who is both wise and foolish, and though he does find himself in hard situations (often of his own making), in the end, he somehow manages to do what needs to be done. In “Ti-Jean and the Princess of Tomboso” he eventually outwits a greedy princess; in “Ti-Jean the Marble Player” he gets the best of a pint-sized scoundrel; and in “How Ti-Jean Became a Fiddler” he turns the tables on a too-clever-for-her-own-good seigneur’s daughter, and finds true love in the process.

Jan Andrews’ simple, no-nonsense text and Dušan Petricic’s sly and witty illustrations bring contemporary energy to the traditional folktale genre. There’s nothing old fashioned about these New World tales, which are funny, witty and wise at the same time.