In this clever retelling of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” lazy Schnitzel, in an effort to avoid the household chores assigned to him by the wizard Willibald, accepts the offer of a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman for a free demonstration. However, the Thing not only gobbles up cobwebs and mud, it also consumes the contents of the house and eventually the house itself. Just as the salesman is about to nibble on Schnitzel himself, the wizard appears and with a single “poof” restores all to normalcy. Schnitzel has learned his lesson the hard way and performs his chores with alacrity from that point on. The story is told in verse and flows easily with no sour notes and would be a pleasure to read aloud. The illustrations, done in varying shades of gray with the occasional splash of red, swirl across the pages and pleasantly capture the energy of the tale. An author’s note at the end gives the history of the work and offers suggestions for creating your own version of this old poem. VERDICT An interesting adaptation that should have substantial appeal and be a worthwhile addition for most collections.