Once there was a farmer and his wife who had a calf named Peter of whom they were especially fond. He was amazingly bright and seemed to understand everything they said to him. If only he could learn to talk, they thought, they could adopt Peter as their son, for they had no children of their own.
So the farmer went to the most learned man in the village, the town clerk, and asked if he could teach Peter to talk. Certainly, the clerk assured him, if the farmer was willing to pay for some expensive books that would be needed.
And so Peter's education began—and with it the farmer's troubles. For every time he went to visit the clerk he found that more money was needed for books. And then a cask of good ale. And then one day Peter disappeared altogether.
How the gullible, good-natured farmer finally gains a son and the crafty clerk a good portion of the farmer's wealth make a delightful story full of dry good humor. Both Helen Oechsli's retelling and Kelly Oechsli's sprightly illustrations in four colors perfectly capture the charm of this old Danish tale.
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