Librarian and storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald - whose only other book that I have read, thus far, is The Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog: A Folktale from Great Britain - turns her attention to the Welsh tradition in this adaptation of a folktale concerning two households, one belonging to an elderly human couple, the other to the wee folk living in the shadow of their stone wall. When the human couple's slops - the waste created from preparing and cooking their meals - keep getting (unintentionally) dumped on the wee couple's house, a compromise must be worked out.

I have encountered this story before, in Dawn Casey's The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales, where it is entitled Stink Water. I understand that it can also be found in MacDonald's own Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About, as well as Elisabeth Sheppard-Jones's Welsh Legendary Tales. I like the message of mindfulness here: that it's important to think about how our actions effects those around us, and, when we discover that we are doing harm, to make changes. That said, I don't know that this folktale is a personal favorite, as a story, nor can I say that Yvonne LeBrun Davis's illustrations - which struck me as rather flat - are that appealing. Still, as an unusual example of fairy-lore, I would recommend Slop: A Welsh Folktale to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those with an interest in Wales. ( )