Ol' Bloo Donkey has spent year after year hauling cotton on a farm in the Deep South and dreaming of the day when he could retire from the fields and become a honky-tonk singer. But when he overhears the type of retirement plan Farmer Brown has in mind for him-an ominously permanent one-Ol' Bloo realizes it's time to hit the road and pursue his ambition of being a star.

Brayin' and hee-hawin' his way toward the bright lights of New Orleans, Ol' Bloo meets up with Gnarly Dog, One-Eyed Lemony Cat, and Rusty Red Rooster, all equally down on their luck and eager to join him for a lucrative second career. But when the ragtag quartet stumbles upon a tumbledown shack occupied by a band of thieves, their plans take a sudden and unexpected turn…

Jan Huling's colloquial retelling of Grimm's tale set along the Texas-Louisiana border is filled with wit and charm. Illustrator Henri Sørensen's full-color paintings capture the unique backwoods setting and distinctive personalities of the characters. Additional silhouetted spot art sprinkled throughout the pages adds to the timelessness of the story.