The Bachelor and the Bean — Shelley Fowles

A Jewish folktale from Morocco

When a grumpy old bachelor loses his last bean down a well, he is hopping mad. To his amazement, a devilish imp leaps out of the well and gives him a magic pot to keep him quiet. After hearing what the pot can do, a neighbor â€" a mean, jealous old lady â€" steals the bachelor's pot, replacing it with a useless one of her own. The grumpy old bachelor is incensed, but when he eventually butts heads with the grumpy old thief, it turns out she is more of a match for him than he had ever bargained for.

The shenanigans in this sprightly illustrated folktale demonstrate with aplomb that romance, like magic, sometimes lurks in unexpected places.