Retrato do autor
3+ Works 118 Membros 3 Críticas

About the Author

Inclui os nomes: Toni De Gerez, Toni De Gerez

Obras por Toni de Gerez

Associated Works

My Song Is Beautiful (1994) — Tradutor — 66 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female

Membros

Críticas

Louhi, the eponymous Witch of North Farm, gets bored one day in this tale taken from Finnish lore, setting out on her skis into the white, snowy world around her home. Eventually taking to the skies, she comes upon Vainamoinen, the Great Singer and Great Knower, playing upon his harp. So beautiful is his song, that all the forest animals gather round, and the sun and moon themselves draw near. Seeing her chance, Louhi steals these celestial bodies, locking them up in her stronghold in Copper Mountain, and leaving the world in darkness. Vainamoinen attempts to retrieve them, but is unsuccessful, leaving the great smith Seppo to use cunning to trick the witch into giving up the imprisoned sun and moon, and restore light to the world...

As its subtitle makes plain, the tale in Louhi, Witch of North Farm: A Story From Finland's Epic Poem 'The Kalevala' is taken from the epic Finnish poem, The Kalevala, recorded and compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century from various oral traditions. This appears to be the only picture-book ever produced by author Toni de Gerez, a storyteller and children's librarian who lived in Mexico at the time of publication, in 1986. The illustrator, Barbara Cooney, on the other hand, was a prolific and celebrated creator of children's books, twice awarded the Caldecott Medal, for her Chanticleer and the Fox and Ox-Cart Man. One wishes the two had collaborated again, as this retelling is simply wonderful, pairing an engaging, magical narrative with gorgeous illustrations. I found the scene in which Vainamoinen is playing his harp particularly lovely:



Just beautiful! I enjoyed this one immensely, from both a storytelling and illustrative standpoint, although I did wonder why de Gerez chose to refer to the great smith as Seppo, an epithet meaning "smith," rather than by his name, Ilmarinen. After all, she referred to Vainamoinen by his name. Still, that's a minor point, and didn't detract at all from my enjoyment. Highly recommended, both to folklore enthusiasts and readers looking for children's stories from The Kalevala, and to fans of Barbara Cooney's artwork. It could pair very nicely with The Maiden of Northland: A Hero Tale of Finland, another picture-book from The Kalevala, in which Vainamoinen and Ilmarinen vie for the hand of Louhi's daughter.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
AbigailAdams26 | 2 outras críticas | Apr 19, 2021 |
Louhi, the Witch of North Farm, partakes in the activities of daily life in Finland. She makes blueberry soup. She looks at the boats. She knits. However, she isn't in the mood for everyday activities. She wants to do something Witch-Witch-Witchety. Louhi goes out looking for trouble...and finds it!
 
Assinalado
bogreader | 2 outras críticas | Mar 1, 2012 |
An entertaining introduction to the rich, fascinating world of Finnish mythology with gorgeous illustrations. Vainamoinen, the old sage, and Louhi, Mistress of the North have a rivalry that involves everyone. Louhi -- what a woman!
 
Assinalado
exlibrisemk | 2 outras críticas | Mar 2, 2008 |

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Associated Authors

Estatísticas

Obras
3
Also by
1
Membros
118
Popularidade
#167,490
Avaliação
½ 4.4
Críticas
3
ISBN
7

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