The Real Thief

by William Steig, William Steig (Illustrator)

Overview

Gawain is a loyal and true goose serving as chief guard of the royal treasury. He'd been happy enough with his life at home tending his garden and making sketches of architectural masterpieces. Now he's being charged with stealing from the treasury. Gawain is certain of his innocence, but he can't prove it. Will the real thief come forward to save Gawain, or will he live in exile forever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466840973
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	955,657
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based; the Caldecott Medal-winner Sylvester and the Magic Pebble; The Caldecott Honor book The Amazing Bone; and the Newbury Honor Books Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto. Stieg also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, and Our Miserable Life.
William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos&Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. Steig also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, beginning with About People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life. He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Editorial Reviews

Steig's captivating style and tongue-in-cheek humor bring to life an endearing set of animal characters with some extremely human foibles.” —Booklist

“Impossible to resist.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In this age of poorly thought out endings to books, it's a treat to end with one of Steig's many stunning last lines, this one from The Real Thief, which he singled out as his favorite among his books: ‘There was peace and harmony in the kingdom once again, except for the little troubles that come up every so often even in the best of circumstances, since nothing is perfect.'” —Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher

Gawain the goose proudly serves King Basil the bear as chief guard of the Royal Treasury until a series of thefts leads to his arrest. But Gawain’s innocence becomes evident when the real thief, a mouse who lives below the floorboards of the vaults, continues the thefts and confesses to the goose. Caruso gives Gawain, King Basil, Derrick (the thieving mouse) and the other animal characters distinct voices and personalities. She reads with expression in a soft, clear voice and thoughtfully conveys the gentle character lesson of Steig’s animal fantasy. C.R.A. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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