In this darkly funny, slightly supernatural chain of tales, humans, animals, flowers, and a sinister old fairy bicker and draw blood around an old farm.

"From a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement have sprung sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, . . . lighthouses and . . . palaces, long bridges and massive dams. In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the architecture of the future, humble concrete plays a mighty role in the creation of the human-made world. With facts and . . . running narrative in the form of repartee-filled speech bubbles, [this book] is . . . informative...