Review by Booklist Review
Ages 6-8. Translated from the Norwegian by Sir George Webbe Dasent in 1859, this story was later included in Lang's Blue Fairy Book. The tale begins when a white polar bear offers a poor family riches in exchange for its youngest daughter. She is taken to a mountain castle, where life takes some odd turns. At night, White Bear becomes a handsome prince and lies beside her; during the day, she is alone and lonely. Before she visits her family, White Bear warns her not to discuss her new life, but she succumbs to her mother's questioning, forcing White Bear to continue his enchantment and rejoin his evil stepmother. Now, he will have to marry the woman's long-nosed daughter, unless the girl can find and save him at a place east o' the sun and west o' the moon-- which, after many trials, she does. Dasent's translation has a folksy manner and a lilting rhythm that is extended in Barlow's full-color paintings. Soft tones and rounded shapes are set off by framed borders that add a certain elegance. The story retains its haunting quality for modern-day readers, and those looking for an illustrated version will appreciate this one. IC.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4 Barlow has created vibrant watercolor and colored pencil illustrations to accompany the classic George Webbe Dasent translation of this popular Norwegian folk tale. Each full-page illustration and its facing page of text are bordered by two bands of contrasting colorsome marbleized, some lined, some figuredseparated by double lines of sharper colors. These borders both embolden the text and create the effect of looking through the window into the scene. Many of the paintings have a folk art quality about them due to Barlow's simple rendering of people, clothing, and furnishings. Details abound: patterns in clothing and furniture, gnarling of tree branches and detailing of household objects. Of the three individual editions now in print, Barlow's illustrations are neither as ethereal as Michael Hague's (HBJ, 1980) nor as romantic as Mercer Mayer's (Four Winds, 1980), yet it is appealing in its own right. Only Barlow's edition has the original text. Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The best translation (1859) of a landmark Norse tale--a long, complex adventure that parallels the French ""Beauty and the Beast"" and the Greek ""Cupid and Psyche"" myth, with colorful, idiosyncratic illustrations. Though Barlow's figures are mannered and a little wooden, her design is strong, her details engage attention, and some scenes (such as the lassie clinging to the North Wind's feathered back) are dramatic. The several borders framing each illustration and text page make interesting references to the art, but their effect is more busy than elegant. Acceptable as a picture-book version of a classic tale. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
