This rhyming, whimsical story, based on a folk song, was first published in 1956 and has been completely reillustrated. In it, a man trades a knife for a wife, a cake for a rake, a shoe without a mate for a slate, and more. Periodically, he asks if the results are good or bad, but readers know that his swapping doesn't amount to much, which is why he keeps at it. Near the end, he has the knife back, and announces that he is through with trading, but the next spread belies his words. Full-color drawings of the man and the things he trades bounce across each spread on white backgrounds. Roly-poly, rosy-cheeked characters enliven the frolicking text, which flows and curves along the pages.