Old Foot-Eater has been living in the forest forever, so it was only a matter of time before he ensnared the lost boy. But the lost boy has been making friends with the scorpion and the rattlesnake, and it is because of his kindness that he might be able to escape becoming lunch for the awful old monster.

Dramatic paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (illustrators of the best-selling My Many Colored Days, by Dr. Seuss and Cat You Better Come Home, by Garrison Keillor) bring to life the clash of the generous boy and the greedy beast.