Review by Booklist Review
In her adaptation of Andersen's classic, Yoon pairs stylish, arresting visuals in a limited palette with a spare rendition of the story. Created from a spoon, the one-legged tin soldier gazes at the beautiful paper ballerina, who lives on the table along with all the other toys. An accidental tumble from the window sets the soldier on an adventure down a gutter, past a rat toll keeper, into the ocean, and down the gullet of a greedy fish, before returning home in a striking spread of the fish on a cutting board and the soldier in a pile of viscera. In Yoon's illustrations, a combination of drawing and relief printing, the soldier and ballerina are almost entirely static their gazes are the only expression of the emotions suggested by the story which gives the whole package an eerie yet evocative atmosphere. The blocky red, black, and silvery gray shapes and layered textures are pleasantly old-fashioned and a perfect match for the timeless story of loyalty and fate. Ideal for libraries hoping to freshen up their fairy tale collections.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a visually striking and fittingly dark interpretation of a tragic fairy tale, a one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a paper ballerina. After falling from a window, the soldier begins a circuitous journey, eventually swallowed by a fish. Colored in bold reds, blacks, and grays, Yoon's angular mixed-media prints highlight the soldier's stoicism and the perils he faces. Yoon (The Tiger Who Would Be King) confronts the story's darkest moments head on: when a cook cuts open the fish and discovers the soldier inside, its blood and entrails pour out grotesquely. And, as in the original Andersen, the soldier and ballerina's relationship ends in fire, as they are incinerated in a stove. Ages 6-9. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-The steadfast tin soldier has only one leg. There was not enough tin to fill the mold, but this soldier can stand just as well as the others. The soldier falls for a beautiful paper ballerina in the child's playroom and catches the wrath of a frightening jack-in-the-box troll. This tale has love, envy, adventure, and the traditional tragic Andersen ending. Yoon has retold the story for a new generation of readers and illustrated it with her distinctive graphic-style mixed-media art. Done with a limited palette, the intense visual elements complement the high drama of the plot, and the detail and use of perspective are exquisite. There are many other picture book versions of this story, yet Yoon brings a fresh look and an accessible narrative. VERDICT This imaginative and appealing interpretation of the classic story is a must-have for any fairy-tale collection.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH © Copyright 2016. 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 Horn Book Review
An average retelling of the classic tale, with sketchy, pastel illustrations from the Disney archives. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Relief-print illustrations in red and black give this retelling of Andersens unhappy love story between a one-legged tin soldier and a ballerina doll a particularly dark edge.Yoon makes only minor changes to Andersens narrative, but her choices for color and imagery add naturalistic, even brutal notes. These are highlighted by the soldiers encounters with a nightmarish jack-in-the-box troll and a huge, vicious sewer rat, followed by his later rediscovery amid the guts and gore of a fish being chopped up for the stew pot. Mirroring the soldier, the ballerina, frozen in midpirouette, is angled throughout so that only one leg is visible. Yoons figures are all flat, with fixed eyes and mottled surfaces. The deep black and vivid red color scheme casts a perfervid glare over jumbled settings and piles of antique toys (including, anachronistically, a retro-style robot) and looks particularly hellish in the depiction of the flames in which the lovers are climactically unitedfor an instant. Or maybe thats supposed to be the consuming flames of love? This is not recommended for bedtime reading. A disturbing but, considering the storyline, entirely justified interpretation. (Picture book. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
