The Goose Girl: A Story from the Brothers Grimm, Retold by Eric A. Kimmel, Illustrated by Robert Sauber
Kimmel, E. A. (1995). The goose girl: A story from the brothers grimm. Holiday House. (R. Sauber, Illustrator) ISBN 9780823410743
In The Goose Girl, A Story Retold from the Brothers Grimm we follow a young princess who is being sent off to a far away land to marry a prince. The travels were all but fine and dandy as the princesses' own servant forces the princess to switch places as she becomes royalty and the princess is subjected to live and work as a Goose Girl! Will justice be served and will the young princess rightfully take her place where she belongs? Read on to find out!
This was my first time reading The Goose Girl, and needless to say I was walking in blind! I did go in with prior knowledge of who the Grimm Brothers were and how their stories compare to the ones we know and love, but I was still managed to be surprised by the story line. One thing I will note is that my initial thought after reading the book, was that The Goose Girl was had a morbid story line, one that was much darker than I expected from an Easy title. The darker undertones remained true throughout the story, as the very kind princess was reprimanded and belittled by her servant, to her beloved horses head being chopped off, to the very descriptive punishment for the false princess. Despite the dark undertones, the story kept a quick pace and kept me as the reader in rapt attention as I read in anticipation to see what would happen next. Due to the style of writing, and the darker undertones, this version of Goose Girl may best be suited for readers who are 7 years or older.
In the story, the princess did get lucky. While she did get to return to her rightful place as Princess, it only happened because the King took a chance to listen to Conrad, the young boy who worked with the Princess. Had the King not been a fair and just King who believed his subjects, the Princess may have been stuck in her predicament for the rest of time. Thankfully, justice was paid for as she did return to her rightful place as Princess, and the servant was punished for her crime. As for the lesson to be learned from The Goose Girl, be careful with who those you trust because not everyone has your best interests in mind.
The illustrations, from the images themselves to even the color choices, were very beautiful. The artwork in the book reminded me of stain glass, as the colors in pieces of stained glass are usually very vivid and bold, and overall very pleasing to look at. The art style in the book reminded me of Victorian paintings which fit very well with the descriptions in the book and while a specific time period was not mentioned, the Victorian style images of the book fit perfectly with the art that was produced in these time, when royalty was more prevalent than ever. Robert Sauber did an amazing job at illustrating The Goose Girl, and I have to say that The Goose Girl has quickly risen up as one of my favorite children's book when it comes to illustrations. I am highly considering seeking out other titles illustrated by Robert Sauber just to see how they compare to The Goose Girl!
For those who enjoyed this retelling of The Goose Girl by Eric Kimmel, the University of South Florida has the original story posted here, along with an audio version, for free as the Brother Grimm stories are public domain! While not all stories are intended for younger readers, if you were a fan of this retelling be sure to check out the other Brothers Grimm! For those reading with younger readers, a discuss to add onto after reading this title is to discuss with your reader the importance of trusting the right people. Additionally, you could discuss with the reader if they thought the punishment for the servant was fair, and if they were in the King's place how would they see fit to make sure justice was served.
What do others think of it? Janice Del Negro from Booklist agrees that, "Kimmel's polished retelling of the tale is given lively support by Sauber's energetic paintings" and that "older children and adolescents [will be] the audience best equipped to appreciate the artwork's romantic appeal and stark justice of the story" (Del Negro, 1995).
Awards:
- None could be found, but Eric Kimmel has published over 50 children's books!
Citations
Del Negro, J. (1995). Goose Girl. Booklist Online. https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Goose-Girl-A-Story-from-the-Brothers-Grimm-Eric-A-Kimmel/pid=140866?pid=140866
Grimm Brothers, . (1905). The Goose-Girl. Grimm's Fairy Tales (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved February 21, 2024, from https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/175/grimms-fairy-tales/3070/the-goose-girl/
Kimmel, E. A. (1995). The goose girl: A story from the brothers grimm. Holiday House.
Comments
Post a Comment