The Goose Girl retold by Eric Kimmel

Kimmel, Eric A. The Goose Girl. Ill. by Robert Sauber. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823410749

This story, retold from the Brothers Grimm, follows a princess, betrothed to a faraway prince. Her mother sends her on her way with a talking horse and a handkerchief as a protective token. However, her serving maid usurps the princess' place, forcing the princess to wear her rags while she wears the princess' rich clothing. When they arrive at the distant palace, the serving girl is recognized as the princess, and the princess is set to work as a goose girl. The goose girl cannot hide her royal qualities forever, and the story resolves itself in typical fairy tale fashion--they all live happily ever after--except for the wicked serving maid!

The illustrations in this book match the tone of the text very well--the rich, detailed costuming and emotionally charged facial expressions of the characters complement the traditional language of the text. The setting portrayed in the illustrations is exactly what one imagines a fairly tale setting to be--heavily forested areas, imposing palaces with turrets and towers.

The retelling of this story does not resolve some of the issues of the original Brothers Grimm story. The reader may find it difficult to understand why the princess allows her serving maid to abuse her so vilely and eventually force her into trading places. The story also does not even attempt to explain the princess' strange ability to command the wind.

This retelling is certainly not for the very young--the language of the text is vocabulary intensive (it uses words like "jade" for an old horse and "frock" for a dress) and the rather gruesome end of the wicked serving maid may be disturbing for younger readers. However, older readers may enjoy the rich language and the magical elements of the story.

AWARDS & REVIEWS:

"With its castles and steeds, noblesse oblige and happy ending, this is a good choice for those looking for old-fashioned make-believe." Publishers Weekly

"This is one of those picture books that needs to find its way into the hands of older children and adolescents; they'll be the audience best equipped to appreciate the artwork's romantic appeal and the stark justice of the story." Booklist

CONNECTIONS:

For older readers, this could be a great introduction to many of the plot elements of Shannon Hale's Goose Girl. Readers could discuss how Hale deals with some of the unresolved issues of this picture book (The talking horse? The princess' ability to command wind?).

This would be a great story to use in a unit about the power of verbal persuasion.