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    The Real Thief
    The Real Thief
    The Real Thief
    Ebook50 pages38 minutes

    The Real Thief

    By William Steig

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    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?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 30, 2013
    ISBN9781466840973
    Author

    William Steig

    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.

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    Reviews for The Real Thief

    4.5/5

    5 ratings2 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It was an awesome book, it had a great moral and a great story line. It was well thought out and just good in general. It was interesting so I read on and on.
    • 4/5
      The Real Thief is a book about Gawain the goose who guards the royal treasury. When things begin disappearing, King Basil becomes suspicious of his loyal guard. Despite Gawain's good reputation, all his friends start to think the worst. Where is the real thief while Gawain suffers the suspicions of everyone around him?Like most WIlliam Steig books, The Real Thief deals with some pretty heavy issues in a delicate way. Trust, betrayal, friendship, loyalty, regret and redemption are a few from this story. All are dealt with in a manner that is appropriate for young audiences.Especially interesting is how the story covers events from two points of view. It may be one of Steig's lesser known works, but it is another classic.This is a great book to read aloud to young ones (especially when transitioning from picture books to chapter books).

    Book preview

    The Real Thief - William Steig

    Gawain stood on guard outside the new Royal Treasury, his dangerous halberd gleaming in the bright sun. The pavement was a bit hot for his feet and he raised first one, ever so slightly, and then the other. Some tourists came by. Gawain held his head proudly on his long neck and his chest expanded in his red and gold uniform as they photographed him.

    When the tourists had moved on, Gawain found himself wishing for his old way of life—swimming in his pond, tilling his bed of herbs, raising prize cabbages and string beans, and drafting plans for strikingly original buildings. He had always dreamed of becoming a great architect and he had visions of a new palace he was sure the King would love. It would be oviform—that is, it would have the ideal shape of the egg.

    Being Chief Guard of the newly built Royal Treasury made him an important goose, but the job bored him. Then why had he accepted it? He had been chosen for the post by King Basil the bear because of his upright, trustworthy character, and he had accepted because he couldn’t possibly have refused. He loved the rough, gruff, fatherly King. His heart warmed in the King’s presence. He admired his strength. He loved the smell of honey on him, on his fur, on his robes, on his breath. He wanted to please him, to stay forever in his gruff, good graces. Everyone did. Basil was a popular king.

    For the sake of uniformity, three other geese—Harvey, Garvey, and Wetmore—had been chosen to take turns with Gawain standing guard in front of the treasury, but only Gawain and the King had keys. The geese had worked out and carefully rehearsed a brief and unpretentious ceremony for the changing of the guard. At the appointed time the two guards would honk twice and the one being relieved would waddle out as his alternate sidled in.

    Once a day Gawain had to unlock the massive door, shove it open with his shoulder, and go into the treasure house to make sure that all was in apple-pie order. Then he would lock up

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