“Once upon a time there was an old woman, an old man, a girl, a boy and a squirrel that lived on the mantelpiece.” So begins this third published retelling of an old Virginian folktale, Sody Salleratus. And, once you get past figuring out who all is on that mantelpiece (it’s just the squirrel) you’re off on a delightful romp.

Each version of Sody involves an elderly lady set to bake biscuits only to find herself out of sody salleratus (baking soda). One by one, the rest of the household try to make their way to the general store. Each is met by a greedy bear and promptly gobbled up until we get to our hero which here, like in the original, is a squirrel. The squirrel deftly outsmarts the now colossally corpulent bear to save the sody.

The spellings change with each version, but Sody was first writ down by Robert Chase in 1948, as “Sody Sallyraytus” in his collection, Grandfather Tales. In 1995, Holiday House published a picture book, Sody Sallyratus by Joanne and Kenn Compton. This year’s Aubrey Davis adaptation is by far the finest.

Davis has a number of advantages in her Sody arsenal. Foremost among them is the illustration team of Alan and Lea Daniel. Each page is stuffed with ferocious humour, energy, and absolutely fresh visual perspectives. If only the colour intensity could have been cranked up a notch or two. One longs for a peek at their original artwork. Secondly, Davis’s manipulation of repeats and rhythmic refrains is wonderful. This is a master performance piece. Teachers and parents who thrive on “having their way” with a picture book will be delighted. Each character crossing the rickety bridge does so in their own inimitable and onomatopoeic way. Finally, the book is considerably enhanced by a witty and well-executed design.

Unfortunately, the ending, though traditional, is a tad flat to the modern ear, but first and last line quibbles aside, this Sody begs to be read over and over until its young audience can take up the performance on their own.