Iron John

When a king with a fabulous menagerie captures a wild man from the wood, 'Iron John' - so named for the wild, iron-colored hair that covers him - becomes the much-feared prize of his collection. Playing with his golden ball one day, the king's son Walter must ask Iron John for help, and he frees the wild man in return. Together the two escape, and Walter is raised by Iron John in the deep forest, where he (Walter) is tasked with protecting a magical spring. After three failures in this duty, he must leave the wood, and finds employment in the gardens of a nearby king (presumably not his father). Here he eventually finds himself attending a ball and a knights' tournament in disguise, with the help of Iron John, and riding off to rescue show more the king's three daughters. Walter's actions help to free Iron John, who is himself a king suffering under a curse (naturally), and he finds his true love in the process...

A German fairy-tale originally found in the Brothers Grimm, where is was known as Eisenhans ("Iron Hans"), Iron John is here adapted and retold by prolific picture-book author and folklorist Eric A. Kimmel, and illustrated by the marvelous Trina Schart Hyman. This version of the story is somewhat different from that found in Grimm, in that the beginning portion of the tale, detailing Iron John's capture, is abbreviated. Also, the ending has been changed, and Walter (named by Kimmel) ends up marrying his fellow gardener, rather than one of the princesses. Kimmel discusses these changes in his brief afterword, mentioning that it had always bothered him that one of the princesses should have the noble prince, after sneering at him when he was a lowly gardener. I certainly cannot fault his reasoning there! This story was immensely engaging, and the artwork (unsurprisingly) was gorgeous. Highly recommended to all fairy-tale lovers, and to fellow fans of Hyman's artwork. show less

I thought that this was a great retelling of a traditional fairy tale. I really enjoy the artwork, and feel like the mixture of the realistic and the fantastic with the softness of the images is really well done. I appreciate the alterations from the original; in the original he marries a princess, even though they reject him in the beginning. I like the message that truly caring about someone is worth more than beauty or wealth and that someone who is of the lower class by birth can become a princess.

This was a fantastic adaptation of a Brothers Grimm tale. It was clear that the original tale was much longer and detailed, but the author of this story did a great job selecting which sections to include. This seems like a great example of a classic fairytale with common character archetypes that are certainly familiar to me.

In this German folklore of Iron John, Eric Kimmel captures the original story of a wild man and a young prince living together in the wild. Walter, the prince, frees Iron John from a cage. Since then, Iron John has taken Walter and raises him as a son and to know the ways of the wild man. Throughout the book, Walter is entrust in duty of guarding the spring by Iron John. Unfortunately, Walter disobeys Iron John's orders and soon learns that a new fate lies ahead of him. He becomes a helper of a gardener name Elsa as the king and his daughters are disgust of his appearance. Walter and Elsa becomes friends and their friendship grows more as they get to know each other. Iron John provides Walter with the things he need from clothes to wear show more and a horse to ride for the royal ball to a golden armor for a tournament. All of this makes Walter attractable until Walter disappear without a trace. Everyone wonders who this mysterious man is and have search for him. When a band of robbers take advantage of the tournament to attack the king and kidnap the princesses, Walter saves the princesses at the cost of his life. With the help of Elsa, he is resurrected again and lives off with Iron John and Elsa in a far away land of kingdom.

I like Eric Kimmel's version of Iron John because of how he give names to the characters in his book. It makes it easier to identify and it adds characters to it. Also, it's not a typical happily ever after when a princess marries a hero guy of nobility. Instead, a young pleasant is marry to the hero and it's a great change in his version of Iron John. Overall, I enjoy Eric Kimmel's Iron John and I recommend this book to anyone who loves the German folklore of Iron John. show less

Eric Kimmel retells the story of Iron John in a very respectful, encouraging way. After Iron John and Walter escape to the woods, they create a bond so strong that nothing can break it. After a forced yet temporary separation, Walter must work to help John break a curse-something that can only be done with true love. The illustrations are fascinating and full of life. I found myself routing for Walter and Iron John’s friendship and Walter’s and Elsa’s blossoming love for one another. In the end, all ends just as it should.

Iron John helps a man in the woods who has a curse on him. He helps him find his true love. A very caring and loving story.