Robert D. San Souci captures the reader's attention with simple language that brings the country setting to life: "They lived on a farm so poor, it looked like the tail end of bad luck." And Jerry Pinkney's watercolors convey the sharp contrast between Blanche's difficult home life and the hilarious celebration at the old woman's home. The art is most effective in setting the mood of the mysterious backwoods and the old woman's home. The cover illustration, which shows Blanche and the crone on a forest path, gives a hint of this tone -- and those who look carefully will see trees with faces and wide-open mouths.