Grades K-3. Young Eric just isn’t appreciated by the people of his medieval village. In response to his minor (if constant) foibles, they call him “twit” and “dummy” and “dope.” It all gets to be a bit much, and one day Eric wanders away from town. That is when the screaming starts: “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! A HUGE MONSTER HAS COME DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAINS!” Dozens of villagers stream past, shouting that it would take a “twit” to think he could fight that monster—indeed, a “dummy” and a “dope.” Hearing this, Eric perks up, for he possesses just those qualities! Wormell’s story, with its omniscient narrator, cruel villagers, and clever turnaround by the apparent fool, has the feel of a classic folktale. When Eric stands up bravely to the towering, hairy beast—illustrated so that you have to turn the book on its end to appreciate the vertical arrangement—he is rewarded by an admission that the monster, too, feels like a twit. A strong addition to the you-can-be-a-hero-too canon.
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