The Princess in Black
Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
ISBN: 9780763665104
Fairy-tale drawings don't quite do the spunky story justice.
I have to say, when it comes to perfect pairings, I would have thought this little book by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham would have been just about everything my heart could have desired. This time, my knowledge of the previous works by these artists made this current book fall just a smidge flat for me. Compared to the witty and poignant work on Rapunzel's Revenge, and the beautiful cameo drawings of Bedtime for Mommy, I just didn't think this short chapter book quite measured up.
It's a cute romp; we meet Princess Magnolia (what a lovely Southern name that is) in her fairy-tale castle, entertaining the nosy noble Duchess Wigtower (and again with the names!). The duchess cannot know Magnolia's deepest darkest secret; she is also the Princess in Black, rescuer of the realm, defender of the innocent (usually livestock) and protector of the people! When an ogre in the deep dark caves manages to forget why ogres aren't allowed into the world above, the Princess in Black gets an alarm. Now she's really worried; what if the Duchess snoops while the Princess is away?
It's cute, don't get me wrong. It's also a lovely little girl-power story, perfect for a self-rescuing princess or budding Black Widow fan who isn't quite old enough for more lively (or bloody) derring-do. Still, I guess I just expected more from this particular trio.
Showing posts with label Clever Princess. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clever Princess. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Fairy Tale / Fantasy: Uprooted, Naomi Novik
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
ISBN: 9780804179034
Beautiful and haunting fantasy-reworking of Beauty and the Beast.
This is the best book I've read all year, and I have read some truly mindblowing, amazing, masterful works of art this year. This is it. This is everything I ever wanted in a story forever and ever. This is what I want to write myself when I grow up. Nothing against any of the other wonderful authors and artists I've seen so far, or will see later in the year, this is just the pinnacle right here.
I simply and truly have no words. If you know that this is a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, that it's set in a fantasy kingdom with an encroaching malevolent Wood, and a politically-unstable dynasty, and an enmity with the neighboring human kingdom, you have everything you need to know to read it and be thrilled and swept away.
I can't wait to read it again!
Naomi Novik
ISBN: 9780804179034
Beautiful and haunting fantasy-reworking of Beauty and the Beast.
This is the best book I've read all year, and I have read some truly mindblowing, amazing, masterful works of art this year. This is it. This is everything I ever wanted in a story forever and ever. This is what I want to write myself when I grow up. Nothing against any of the other wonderful authors and artists I've seen so far, or will see later in the year, this is just the pinnacle right here.
I simply and truly have no words. If you know that this is a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, that it's set in a fantasy kingdom with an encroaching malevolent Wood, and a politically-unstable dynasty, and an enmity with the neighboring human kingdom, you have everything you need to know to read it and be thrilled and swept away.
I can't wait to read it again!
Friday, May 29, 2015
YA Fantasy: The Orphan Queen, Jodi Meadows
The Orphan Queen
Jodi Meadows
ISBN: 9780062317384
Traditional "western european" YA fantasy sets a young exiled princess against a conquering kingdom and a murderous magical incursion. First in a projected series, with a GIANT CLIFFHANGER ENDING!
First things first: I read this immediately after devouring two other fantasy series back to back, by absolute masters of the craft, and THEN I read another very similarly plotted book immediately afterwards, which was flat-out one of the best fantasy-fairy-tale adaptations I've ever been blessed to read. So I'm going to be a little sharp here, and it really is unfair of me, because this book was not bad. It wasn't even mediocre, it just - wasn't at the very top of the heap, and that's where everything else this week was, so this suffers unjustly by the comparison.
With that in mind: a decent start-up to a series, with a Hunger Games inspired cliffhanger for the ending. Sadly, I wasn't invested enough in the characters to actually care one way or the other about said cliffhanger, and I won't be particularly looking out for the next in the series. Now, if it happens to come up, or cross my desk, I'll certainly read it - it was an interesting set-up, and I'm curious to know where things will go - just, more in an academic sort of way.
List of unfortunate things:
Character names don't make any damn sense. This is a stereotypical white western european fantasy medieval/Victorian setting. Please just pick a real medieval kingdom to pretend the characters are from, and choose names from there: France, Germany, Poland, wherever! Just don't name one girl Wilhemina, another Quinn, another Teresa, and yet a different girl Paige, and expect me to not slip a few gears.
The "spy ring" was not so great. Naming yourselves (and identifying as such to potential enemies or informants, and wearing clothes embroidered with the representation of such) after the heraldric creature of the fallen kingdom is sweet, but it's also stupid dangerous when living in enemy territory. My desire to think of the main character and the group as a whole as competent and formidable was straining against this the entire book. My opinion was also not helped by the main character's utter uselessness at an infiltration that had apparently been planned for quite some time. I know they're all kids, but they're all trained and espionage-hardened kids, or at least that's what they're supposed to be.
The rationale behind going to the "mysterious location" in a totally different kingdom was really stretched. When the character was explaining her motives to another person, I could just see the author explaining the reasons to an editor, who just nodded with a glazed look under the torrent of words. Set up your plotting better, so decisions and events are actually important to the character's stated goals.
Have you ever seen Zorro: The Gay Blade? If not, go see it, I'll wait. Back now? There's a very "Zorro" character here, and it was super obvious, and a little forced. While I liked the masked version of the character, I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes otherwise. Cute, decently executed, but so very obvious.
List of enjoyable things:
Wil was an awesome lead, despite being utterly useless at most of her life choices. She made her decisions, stuck to them, and mostly (despite one glaring plot-rail) had in-character reasons for them. She had agency, personality, and an interesting background conflict.
The growing relationship and partnership with "Zorro" was meet-cute.
The plot concept was nifty, and has potential for interesting developments through the series. The "magic gone bad" concept is sort of hot now, but this version also has intro-country political repercussions (slim and plot-dependent, but actually acknowledged) of the magic problem, and attempts to solve it in earlier years.
The lead friendship was very well drawn.
The "mysterious location" was, on reflection, one of the best parts of the book - it was supremely creepy and paced well.
All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Jodi Meadows
ISBN: 9780062317384
Traditional "western european" YA fantasy sets a young exiled princess against a conquering kingdom and a murderous magical incursion. First in a projected series, with a GIANT CLIFFHANGER ENDING!
First things first: I read this immediately after devouring two other fantasy series back to back, by absolute masters of the craft, and THEN I read another very similarly plotted book immediately afterwards, which was flat-out one of the best fantasy-fairy-tale adaptations I've ever been blessed to read. So I'm going to be a little sharp here, and it really is unfair of me, because this book was not bad. It wasn't even mediocre, it just - wasn't at the very top of the heap, and that's where everything else this week was, so this suffers unjustly by the comparison.
With that in mind: a decent start-up to a series, with a Hunger Games inspired cliffhanger for the ending. Sadly, I wasn't invested enough in the characters to actually care one way or the other about said cliffhanger, and I won't be particularly looking out for the next in the series. Now, if it happens to come up, or cross my desk, I'll certainly read it - it was an interesting set-up, and I'm curious to know where things will go - just, more in an academic sort of way.
List of unfortunate things:
Character names don't make any damn sense. This is a stereotypical white western european fantasy medieval/Victorian setting. Please just pick a real medieval kingdom to pretend the characters are from, and choose names from there: France, Germany, Poland, wherever! Just don't name one girl Wilhemina, another Quinn, another Teresa, and yet a different girl Paige, and expect me to not slip a few gears.
The "spy ring" was not so great. Naming yourselves (and identifying as such to potential enemies or informants, and wearing clothes embroidered with the representation of such) after the heraldric creature of the fallen kingdom is sweet, but it's also stupid dangerous when living in enemy territory. My desire to think of the main character and the group as a whole as competent and formidable was straining against this the entire book. My opinion was also not helped by the main character's utter uselessness at an infiltration that had apparently been planned for quite some time. I know they're all kids, but they're all trained and espionage-hardened kids, or at least that's what they're supposed to be.
The rationale behind going to the "mysterious location" in a totally different kingdom was really stretched. When the character was explaining her motives to another person, I could just see the author explaining the reasons to an editor, who just nodded with a glazed look under the torrent of words. Set up your plotting better, so decisions and events are actually important to the character's stated goals.
Have you ever seen Zorro: The Gay Blade? If not, go see it, I'll wait. Back now? There's a very "Zorro" character here, and it was super obvious, and a little forced. While I liked the masked version of the character, I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes otherwise. Cute, decently executed, but so very obvious.
List of enjoyable things:
Wil was an awesome lead, despite being utterly useless at most of her life choices. She made her decisions, stuck to them, and mostly (despite one glaring plot-rail) had in-character reasons for them. She had agency, personality, and an interesting background conflict.
The growing relationship and partnership with "Zorro" was meet-cute.
The plot concept was nifty, and has potential for interesting developments through the series. The "magic gone bad" concept is sort of hot now, but this version also has intro-country political repercussions (slim and plot-dependent, but actually acknowledged) of the magic problem, and attempts to solve it in earlier years.
The lead friendship was very well drawn.
The "mysterious location" was, on reflection, one of the best parts of the book - it was supremely creepy and paced well.
All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Nicholas Pipe, Robert D. San Souci, David Shannon
Nicholas Pipe, Robert D. San Souci, illus David Shannon.
ISBN: 0803717644
Read Oct 2, 2013
No
signs of No, David! here. Nicholas Pipe has some strange trousers, but
that's the only unrealistic element in illustrations that deal with
land-loving mermen, homicidal merwomen, and a daughter who loves the one
man her dad can't stand. Isn't that always the way it goes?
Margaret and her father Marius disagree on Nicholas,
but they're eye to eye on everything else. Nicholas is known to be a
merman by the whole town, but he warns them of high tides and storms,
and so is tolerated - until Margaret falls in love. Unable to bear it,
Marius heads to the king to announce the arrival of a rarity, an oddity,
a strange sea-man. Soldiers fetch the poor merman in chains, but
Nicholas doesn't bother to tell them his limitations - if he doesn't
touch the sea once per day, he's dead.
Margaret alone knows his secret, and she's off to
the rescue with skins of salt-water. She can't quite manage it alone,
but Marius comes to his senses before too late, and makes amends as best
as he's able.
The original courtly love story had a tragic ending
(of course) but here everything works out in the end a la Beauty and the
Beast, although there is no transformation necessary.
Interesting fairy-tale look at the power of love to overcome differences and obstacles.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Wind Child, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Leo & Diane Dillon
Wind Child, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Leo & Diane Dillon.
ISBN: 006024903X
Read September 13, 2013
Picture book.
The
wind fell in love with a lady, and she died in childbirth, so in his
grief he left the infant with an old lady and never looked for her or
cared about her afterwards. Meanwhile, the half-wind child (and young
lady) didn't fit in on the earth, worked as a celebrated weaver,
dreamed about flying, didn't like any earth-based men, and tried to
construct more suitable lovers/partners for herself out of the elements,
until a prince of the wind noticed her and carried her off into the sky
with him.
Very odd. I can't decide if the distant tone of the writing
or the formal and aloof nature of the artwork is more offputting. I
would think something like this would be right up my alley, but it's
really not. I'm a bit sad about that. Something is just really off
about this work, and it just doesn't work for me.
I do like that the townsfolk are effortlessly
multicultural, and her "constructed" men are beautifully illustrated,
but the Prince is dressed laughably - his capelet is just not
well-fitted to the character.
The artwork is beautiful, if a little stiff and
cold, and the story itself has no real objectionable elements - the
heroine is self-possessed, creative, hard-working, and quick-witted, so
there's that. Just didn't resonate with me. Sadly, this one's a miss.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Goose Chase, Patrice Kindl
Goose Chase, Patrice Kindl. ISBN: 978-1439515938
Read August 27
Juv-YA fantasy: Goose-girl embarks on a journey to escape marriage
to either a stupid Prince or a murderous King who both supposedly want her for her
recently-bestowed magical gifts of diamond tears and gold-dust
that wafts from her hair.
Not amazing, but funny enough. I especially liked the transition
of the Prince from a stupid oaf to a sensitive and somewhat needy 15
year old boy with no mother or father. That's not something done well
or often with this age-category book, and it was refreshing to see. I also
particularly liked the sections with the Ogresses. It could have done
with a smidge tighter plotting, and some of the characters' motivations
were a little unclear (especially the Baroness, at the end) but it's a
fun romp through fairy-tale princess tropes, with a strong and stubborn
main character who refuses to give in to her continually-dire although
always-changing circumstances.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown
Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, Orem Hiawyn, illus Ruth Brown.
ISBN - 978-0525459477
(re-read) August 9, 2013
Ran across this one again while researching juv 398s for rusalkas, and wanted to draw some attention to it because of how marvelously witchy and gruesome Baba Yaga is. I still like the story/illustrations combo better in Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, but the illustrations in this one are just creepy-perfect.
Gender-unclear (meant, I'm sure, to be female, but in clothes and with a haircut that make that somewhat ambiguous) Too Nice lives with equally unclear siblings:
Horrid and Very Horrid. Their faces make their names
quite clear. One day, the Horrids have had enough of Too Nice, so they
kick Too Nice out of the house to fetch them a jeweled toad from Baba
Yaga.
Not to fear, Too Nice has a mother's poppet, a wise doll that aids in the work. What I like about this rendition is two-fold: First, unlike a lot of versions of this story, Too Nice actually begins the work and works hard all day before despairing of the magnitude of the task and calling in the doll for backup. Secondly, the illustrations are brilliant in showing how the doll is helping. Too Nice is passed out exhausted, with the doll still in arms, but look to the shadows to see what's really going on. Brilliant idea, beautiful execution.
And Baba Yaga - Oh My God. She is one scary witch. She puts all those Disney witches to SHAME. She's all grey except for her "glowing red eyes" which aren't actually red, but rheumy and yellowish and tiny and mean. She's tall and overwhelming and PERFECT. I love her. She's my new favoritest witch ever.
The final change I like to the basic story structure is that instead of bringing home a skull-lamp that burns the nasty family to cinders instantly (PTSD anyone?) Too Nice brings back one of the huge jeweled toads, just as they asked, and it snaps them up and they're gone, then the toad hops back over to Baba Yaga's chicken-legged house. Now, I don't know WHY it seems to me that having a giant bejewelled toad eat your siblings seems much less traumatic to me than having them burned to death by a skull-lamp, but there it is.
Actually, I lied - there's one more difference I appreciated. The story wisely stops there with Too Nice becoming Little Just About Right - instead of dragging on into odd unrelated widows and weaving and marrying of kings, also, incidentally, keeping that subtle bit of gender neutrality that I really appreciate.
Perfect.
Friday, July 26, 2013
The Talking Eggs, Robert D. San Souci, Jerry Pinkney
The Talking Eggs, Robert D. San Souci, illus by Jerry Pinkney. ISBN: 0803706197
Read July 23, 2013
Picture Book: Classic fairy-tale story (Perrault's The Fairies,
also known as Diamonds and Toads, and Grimm's Mother Hulda) gets a
Creole makeover as this dynamic duo knocks another beautiful book out of
the park.
Blanche and Rose live a hard-knock life with their single mother
(although the life might be a bit less hard-knock if Rose and Mom
weren't slackers and harpies) until a chance encounter with a weird
old woman at the well leads sweet-tempered and hard-working Blanche into a
fortune - after a strange night requiring her to be respectful, gentle,
and hard-working.
When Blanche comes back home loaded, Rose is shoved out
the door to try her luck, and of course, fails miserably as she is
incapable of governing herself.
I would personally have preferred a Gullah rendition rather than
Creole, as I grew up in Charleston, but one can't have everything.
A really nice touch for me is that Blanche and the old
witchwoman share the same (beautiful traditional African) hairstyle,
while Rose and Mom have theirs down and loose in imitation of white
styles, trying to be "fancy ladies" in the big city.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Soonie and the Dragon, Shirley Rosseau Murphy
Soonie and the Dragon
Shirley Rosseau Murphy
Published 1979
Hardcover "Weekly Reader" book
ISBN: 978-0689307201
Goodwill find!
This is a sweet collection of three tales featuring the intrepid Soonie, orphaned and left all alone at the start with a broken-down cart, and old hound, and an even older mare. Despite only knowing how to sing and dance and tell stories, she manages to fix and paint the cart in a day, (saving enough time to sing for her supper, of course) and then she's off to adventures!
In the first installment (which I imagine would be what most people remember) Soonie travels to the big city, and tries to sing for her supper, but she's rudely told to stop it, and informed that singing is outlawed, because the Princess of the city was taken and eaten by a dragon. On to the next city then! There, she tries dancing, but the reception is similarly chilly for a similar reason. Onwards again, to a city square where telling tales is verboten; you guessed it - their Princess is gone too.
Thinking about how to avoid being eaten by this apparently talent-seeking dragon, Soonie soon succumbs to curiousity (and the knowledge of the hundreds of gold coins, head of cattle, herds of horses, and acreage of land that comprise the reward) and follows the sounds of singing, dancing, and tale-telling to the dragon's cave, where she rescues the princesses with perfect trickster form.
Rewards acquired, she's onward again to her next adventure. An ancient crone warns her of the dangers of menfolk to come (and isn't that an allegory in a fairy-tale book for young girls there) and sure enough, the first is an ogre in disguise wishing to eat her, the second a phouka wishing to drown her in the sea, and the third an ancient and cruel Fae king who wishes her to become his bride and loose her immortal soul for eternal life with him. This one was actually a bit creepy, as the Fae don't play fair, and Soonie is quite obviously out of her depth. The crone returns, the Fae are vanquished satisfyingly, and Soonie again sets out.
Final adventure has Soonie administering some tough love to a 5-headed griffon and the useless sons of the nearby village alike. The griffon complains too much, and the sons don't give their parents the respect and help they should. A mysterious figure with curious changeable animals makes an appearance, and Soonie finds herself a man after her own heart.
Not bad for a quarter! :)
Shirley Rosseau Murphy
Published 1979
Hardcover "Weekly Reader" book
ISBN: 978-0689307201
Goodwill find!
This is a sweet collection of three tales featuring the intrepid Soonie, orphaned and left all alone at the start with a broken-down cart, and old hound, and an even older mare. Despite only knowing how to sing and dance and tell stories, she manages to fix and paint the cart in a day, (saving enough time to sing for her supper, of course) and then she's off to adventures!
In the first installment (which I imagine would be what most people remember) Soonie travels to the big city, and tries to sing for her supper, but she's rudely told to stop it, and informed that singing is outlawed, because the Princess of the city was taken and eaten by a dragon. On to the next city then! There, she tries dancing, but the reception is similarly chilly for a similar reason. Onwards again, to a city square where telling tales is verboten; you guessed it - their Princess is gone too.
Thinking about how to avoid being eaten by this apparently talent-seeking dragon, Soonie soon succumbs to curiousity (and the knowledge of the hundreds of gold coins, head of cattle, herds of horses, and acreage of land that comprise the reward) and follows the sounds of singing, dancing, and tale-telling to the dragon's cave, where she rescues the princesses with perfect trickster form.
Rewards acquired, she's onward again to her next adventure. An ancient crone warns her of the dangers of menfolk to come (and isn't that an allegory in a fairy-tale book for young girls there) and sure enough, the first is an ogre in disguise wishing to eat her, the second a phouka wishing to drown her in the sea, and the third an ancient and cruel Fae king who wishes her to become his bride and loose her immortal soul for eternal life with him. This one was actually a bit creepy, as the Fae don't play fair, and Soonie is quite obviously out of her depth. The crone returns, the Fae are vanquished satisfyingly, and Soonie again sets out.
Final adventure has Soonie administering some tough love to a 5-headed griffon and the useless sons of the nearby village alike. The griffon complains too much, and the sons don't give their parents the respect and help they should. A mysterious figure with curious changeable animals makes an appearance, and Soonie finds herself a man after her own heart.
Not bad for a quarter! :)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Brave Margaret, Robert D. San Souci, Sally Wern Comport
The last of my current batch of "Clever Princess"- type stories, Brave Margaret is yet another one based on old folktales.
Margaret is a "red woman" with fiery hair, milky skin, cheeks that glow like embers, and eyes blue like hot fire. She works on her farm until the day a young king comes by looking for kine to supply his ship full of adventurers.
Adventurers, you say? Margaret gladly grants the cows, but only if she can come with. Despite initial protestations, King Simon agrees, and she works as hard and as long as the sailors and adventurers do.
Until the sea serpent attacks. After that, the duo is separated, and Margaret ends up in a hovel with a weird old crone who's a bit tiched in the head. There's a sword and ring hanging over the fire, waiting for a champion to take them up and defeat a great evil.
We all know how this is going to go, right? But, before that, we get to see Simon taught a hard lesson (and perhaps an unfair one) and Margaret learns that she doesn't have to sit on her ass and wait for someone else to be the hero.
Stunning illustrations - all deceptively loose and "primitive" in places, but full of details and strength in colors and lines. The story flows neatly and straightforwardly, which is a blessing to old Irish folktales which can often wander and get lost in side alleys. The episodes aren't always explained (why did the sea serpent want Margaret?) (why didn't the not-really-an-old-crone just get off her ass and kick the evil's butt herself?) but they're thrilling adventures and reasons aren't a strong point in fairy tales anyway.
Margaret is a "red woman" with fiery hair, milky skin, cheeks that glow like embers, and eyes blue like hot fire. She works on her farm until the day a young king comes by looking for kine to supply his ship full of adventurers.
Adventurers, you say? Margaret gladly grants the cows, but only if she can come with. Despite initial protestations, King Simon agrees, and she works as hard and as long as the sailors and adventurers do.
Until the sea serpent attacks. After that, the duo is separated, and Margaret ends up in a hovel with a weird old crone who's a bit tiched in the head. There's a sword and ring hanging over the fire, waiting for a champion to take them up and defeat a great evil.
We all know how this is going to go, right? But, before that, we get to see Simon taught a hard lesson (and perhaps an unfair one) and Margaret learns that she doesn't have to sit on her ass and wait for someone else to be the hero.
Stunning illustrations - all deceptively loose and "primitive" in places, but full of details and strength in colors and lines. The story flows neatly and straightforwardly, which is a blessing to old Irish folktales which can often wander and get lost in side alleys. The episodes aren't always explained (why did the sea serpent want Margaret?) (why didn't the not-really-an-old-crone just get off her ass and kick the evil's butt herself?) but they're thrilling adventures and reasons aren't a strong point in fairy tales anyway.
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, Marianna Mayer, Kinuko Craft
This is an ancient Russian fairy tale, similar to Cinderella in some ways with the evil stepfamily, but Baba Yaga is no fairy godmother.
Vasilisa's mother gave her a tiny doll before she died, telling the girl that it would look after her and pass on her love even beyond the grave. Now, with her father also dead, an evil witch of a stepmother, and two hateful stepsisters, she needs that love and help more than ever.
A reason is manufactured to send Vasilisa over to Baba Yaga's house in the woods, the one standing on little chicken feet, surrounded by walls of human bones, and lit by the unearthly lights shining from bleached skulls. She's supposedly sent to fetch a light back home, but she's really supposed to become Baba Yaga's dinner.
Between her own care and bravery, and the help of the magic doll, Vasilisa not only doesn't become dinner, but actually manages to impress the old hag. After two days, she's sent back home with a skull lantern, and things start looking up for her after that.
I love the illustrations here. I'm less thrilled by the pacing of the narrative, and I'm really a bit confused by the tacked-on ending involving the weaving and the young tzar. I know it's there in the earliest versions, but it really does seem disconnected to the rest of the story.
Despite those flaws, an amazing tale, and a good complement to The Magic Nesting Doll or to A Weave of Words.
Vasilisa's mother gave her a tiny doll before she died, telling the girl that it would look after her and pass on her love even beyond the grave. Now, with her father also dead, an evil witch of a stepmother, and two hateful stepsisters, she needs that love and help more than ever.
A reason is manufactured to send Vasilisa over to Baba Yaga's house in the woods, the one standing on little chicken feet, surrounded by walls of human bones, and lit by the unearthly lights shining from bleached skulls. She's supposedly sent to fetch a light back home, but she's really supposed to become Baba Yaga's dinner.
Between her own care and bravery, and the help of the magic doll, Vasilisa not only doesn't become dinner, but actually manages to impress the old hag. After two days, she's sent back home with a skull lantern, and things start looking up for her after that.
I love the illustrations here. I'm less thrilled by the pacing of the narrative, and I'm really a bit confused by the tacked-on ending involving the weaving and the young tzar. I know it's there in the earliest versions, but it really does seem disconnected to the rest of the story.
Despite those flaws, an amazing tale, and a good complement to The Magic Nesting Doll or to A Weave of Words.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Magic Nesting Doll, Jacqueline Ogburn, Laurel Long
The heroine of this story isn't really Vasilisa, but the style is very similar to that of the stories of Vasilisa the Clever/Brave/Beautiful, especially with the nesting doll resting in her pocket.
Katya lives with her beloved grandmother, who passes away one spring. Before she dies, she gives the girl a magical nesting doll (matryoshka) to use three times in her greatest need.
The girl travels to the capital to find a new home and work, and as she travels, the skies grow darker, the world grows colder, and it begins to snow. It appears that the young tsarovitch has been put under a spell to become no more than living ice, and in response, the world has fallen into a winter without thaw, a night without moon, and dark without dawn.
Fascinated by this idea she journeys to the palace and is imprisoned by the Vizier (never have a Vizier, people!) and uses the fantastical creatures inside the nesting doll to break the layers of the evil spell, rescuing the country and the prince.
Not particularly original, or worldshattering, but the illustrations are beautiful, and the girl-power theme is welcome.
Katya lives with her beloved grandmother, who passes away one spring. Before she dies, she gives the girl a magical nesting doll (matryoshka) to use three times in her greatest need.
The girl travels to the capital to find a new home and work, and as she travels, the skies grow darker, the world grows colder, and it begins to snow. It appears that the young tsarovitch has been put under a spell to become no more than living ice, and in response, the world has fallen into a winter without thaw, a night without moon, and dark without dawn.
Fascinated by this idea she journeys to the palace and is imprisoned by the Vizier (never have a Vizier, people!) and uses the fantastical creatures inside the nesting doll to break the layers of the evil spell, rescuing the country and the prince.
Not particularly original, or worldshattering, but the illustrations are beautiful, and the girl-power theme is welcome.
A Weave of Words, Robert D. San Souci, Raul Colon
Such a pretty pretty book, and such a wonderful message.
Based on the Armenian folktale "Clever Anaeet" - (found in closer to original form in the compilation The Fabrics of Fairytale, by Tanya Robyn Batt. The same story also appears (with much less stirring text and illustrations) in The Golden Bracelet, by David Kherdian and Nonny Hogrogian.
A lazy prince loves only to hunt, and in fact, that is the only thing he knows how to do. That is until he meets a beautiful, clever, and wise weaver's daughter, who won't have anything to do with him until he has proven himself to be a true man by becoming literate and learning a craft or trade.
Smitten with her, and now burning with desire to prove himself worthy, the prince studies hard and learns (and excels at) the craft of loom weaving cloth-of-gold.
He sends her a poem written by him, wrapped in a blanket woven by him, and she accepts his proposal. She teaches him to handle bureaucracy, he teaches her to ride, and to fight.
Then danger stirs on the border, and he goes to investigate. He's caught by a dev (a goblin demon) and forced to work night and day to earn his meager rations. He weaves a beautiful cloth with a secret message for his queen, and tricks the dev into sending it to her for gold. She understands it at once and rides in to the rescue.
The illustrations are beautiful! Dark and evocative, with beautiful prince and maiden, and evil henchmen and dev. The backgrounds are full of "arabian nights" style swirls and flourishes, and they remind me of The Horse and His Boy, and of The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.
Based on the Armenian folktale "Clever Anaeet" - (found in closer to original form in the compilation The Fabrics of Fairytale, by Tanya Robyn Batt. The same story also appears (with much less stirring text and illustrations) in The Golden Bracelet, by David Kherdian and Nonny Hogrogian.
A lazy prince loves only to hunt, and in fact, that is the only thing he knows how to do. That is until he meets a beautiful, clever, and wise weaver's daughter, who won't have anything to do with him until he has proven himself to be a true man by becoming literate and learning a craft or trade.
Smitten with her, and now burning with desire to prove himself worthy, the prince studies hard and learns (and excels at) the craft of loom weaving cloth-of-gold.
He sends her a poem written by him, wrapped in a blanket woven by him, and she accepts his proposal. She teaches him to handle bureaucracy, he teaches her to ride, and to fight.
Then danger stirs on the border, and he goes to investigate. He's caught by a dev (a goblin demon) and forced to work night and day to earn his meager rations. He weaves a beautiful cloth with a secret message for his queen, and tricks the dev into sending it to her for gold. She understands it at once and rides in to the rescue.
The illustrations are beautiful! Dark and evocative, with beautiful prince and maiden, and evil henchmen and dev. The backgrounds are full of "arabian nights" style swirls and flourishes, and they remind me of The Horse and His Boy, and of The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.
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