Jim LaMarche

A review of a book adaptation by Paul Galdone, part of the Folk Tale Classics series, says it is a “faithful retelling” of the Grimm Brothers tale, with “the art of master storyteller” Paul Galdone, that captures the kindness of the shoemaker and the magic of the elves.

Partially inspired by the author's own childhood experiences, this is a beautiful book about a little boy name Nicky who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric grandma in the country. What he thinks is going to be the worst summer ever, completely changes one day when he finds an abandoned raft on the river. The illustrations in this book are soft and dreamy and pull in the reader. This would be a great mentor text for character development as the little boy changes throughout the story.

A luminous, lushly illustrated retelling of the classic tale. Needle and thread form a border around the text; the full-bleed art is predominantly warm-toned, even the scenes that take place at night. Of all the Grimm tales, this is one of the cheeriest.

Acrylic washes and colored pencil on watercolor paper.