Barbara Rogasky (1933–2011)

With a story from the Brothers Grimm (retold by Barbara Rogasky), and artwork from Trina Schart Hyman, what's not to love? The tale of a dying king, and his three sons, who each set out, in their turn, to discover the magical Water of Life that will restore their father to youth and health, this fairy-tale offers a study of differing character, and of the nature of love. For, as it turns out (and as readers of the genre will no doubt be expecting), the two older brothers are not motivated by show more love alone, but also by worldly concerns, in the form of a desire to inherit, while the youngest son - not too proud to speak to the dwarf whose path he crosses, trusting of his elder brothers, and forgiving of their faults - is motivated by pure love. It is that purity that allows him, in the end, not only to restore his father to health, but to avoid the destruction set in motion by his brothers' wicked schemes, and to win a beautiful princess (and her kingdom) as his own.

Rogasky's retelling of The Water of Life is engaging enough, but is Hyman's gorgeous artwork that truly makes this title stand out! Wonderfully expressive (I loved the expressions on the various characters' faces), beautiful, but with an undercurrent of menace - it has a sharp, sometimes quirky quality that raises it above the "pretty" - Hyman's illustrations linger in the memory, and are instantly recognizable, as her creations. All in all, this is a lovely fairy-tale title, one I would recommend to readers of the genre, or to Trina Schart Hyman fans, and one which I thank my friend Chandra for recommending to me! show less

A hunger for forbidden salad greens cost a wife and husband their baby daughter. In the dead of night, the husband raids the garden of the witch next door. When he’s discovered the witch demands their daughter in return. She snatches her away from them, and then imprisons her in a high tower surrounded by thorns in the depths of the forest.

Rogasky’s retelling is lively and Hyman’s illustrations are glorious.

Mildly interesting story. The stereotypical "Jewish" language (We should only...) rather detracts from the story - it may be accurate(ish, they weren't speaking English anyway) but it "others" the characters. I felt sorry for the golem - according to this version, he could feel and understand pride and shame and anger, but not love or mercy or justice. Which is...very convenient, for the story. Rabbi Loew blames himself for the golem's flaws, but it doesn't really follow. And the repeated show more omens warning of danger are, again, very convenient (the wrong words come out when someone's reading a familiar text, a candle blows out at the same point repeatedly...it makes things too easy, even if it's generally a warning of severe danger). The threats are severe, and really nasty (among others, three charges of murder, one of which actually includes the murder of a child to support the false accusation). But they come so quickly, and are so quickly dealt with, that they seem unimportant. It comes out really nasty, overall. The illustrations are well done, with an interesting discussion of them at the end of the book. I'm glad I read it, but I see no reason to reread. show less

It's a weird story and I have come to notice that in a good handful of these stories, there's a beautiful princess who is willing to marry some dude she has only met once. Not the best lesson to teach, but it wasn't the young prince's fault. He really should have listened to the dwarf that tried to warn him how much of an asshole his brothers were though.

The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are awesome.