A wealthy squire decides he wishes to remarry in this Norwegian folktale, only to discover that the object of his affections—the daughter of a poor farmer in the area—is not interested in becoming his wife. Determined to make her his nonetheless, the squire involves the girl's father in his efforts, and when even parental persuasion proves ineffective, a new plan is devised. The wedding will be prepared, and the girl sent to the squire's house unawares... but things do not go quite as planned, when the girl sends a mare in her place...

Collected by those giants of Norwegian folklore, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, as part of their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"), where it was known as Herremannsbruden, this humorous tale is presented in this picture-book edition with the lovely illustrations of American artist Marcia Sewell. The story itself was enjoyable, celebrating a clever young girl who knows what she wants (and what she doesn't!), but what lifted this presentation above the ordinary was the pencil drawings from Sewell. Delicate but quite expressive, these pictures draw the reader in, every bit as engaging as more colorful folktale artwork. Recommended to young folklore lovers, or to picture-book readers looking for books with Norwegian content. For my part, I hope to track down more of Sewell's books. ( )