Ol' Bloo's Boogie-Woogie Band and Blues Ensemble

Ol’ Bloo Donkey has spent year after year hauling cotton on a farm in the Deep South and dreaming of the day when he could retire from the fields and become a honky-tonk singer. But when he overhears the type of retirement plan Farmer Brown has in mind for him—an ominously permanent one—Ol’ Bloo realizes it’s time to hit the road and pursue his ambition of being a star.

Brayin’ and hee-hawin’ his way toward the bright lights of New Orleans, Ol’ Bloo meets up with Gnarly Dog, One-Eyed Lemony Cat, and Rusty Red Rooster, all equally down on their luck and eager to join him for a lucrative second career. But when the ragtag quartet stumbles upon a tumbledown shack occupied by a band of thieves, their plans take a sudden and unexpected turn…

Jan Huling’s colloquial retelling of Grimm’s tale set along the Texas-Louisiana border is filled with wit and charm. Illustrator Henri Sørensen’s full-color paintings capture the unique backwoods setting and distinctive personalities of the characters. Additional silhouetted spot art sprinkled throughout the pages adds to the timelessness of the story.