The Little Golden Lamb

A young shepherd boy is given a golden lamb in payment for his faithful service in this picture book retelling of a Hungarian folktale, and sets out on his way home, playing his flute and gamboling along. On the way he encounters an innkeeper's daughter, an old baker-woman, and a priest, each of whom become attached to the lamb and are forced to join the dancing procession. Eventually the boy comes to the royal castle, where his entourage wins laughter from the long-silent princess, and a reward for the boy himself...

Although there is no author's note explaining the source material for this tale, the colophon of The Little Golden Lamb indicates that the story is an adaptation of "The Lamb with the Golden Fleece," from the 1886 Magyar show more Folk-Tales, and is a variant of the "Golden Goose" tale type. Author Ellin Greene, who retells the tale here, is an author already known to me, both from other picture book folktales, such as Billy Beg and His Bull: An Irish Tale, and for her lovely folkloric anthology, Midsummer Magic: A Garland Of Stories, Charms, and Recipes. Illustrator Rosanne Litzinger's work is also known to me, through her artwork in titles like Koko Nishizuka's The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale and Eric A. Kimmel's The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska. In any case, while I wouldn't say this was destined to become a personal favorite, I did find the story engaging, appreciating the humor of both the tale and telling, and thought that the artwork was likewise amusing—full of motion and expression. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for Hungarian tales. show less

A young boy is raised by his father after his mother dies, when he becomes of age he is sent out on his own to make a living. During his travels he finds a farmer who hires him as his shepherd. The boy does such a great job that the farmer has promised him anything he would like, thinking he would ask for money the boy surprised him when he asks for nothing but the golden lamb that was born in the spring. The lamb and the boy then set off on their own adventure. The boy hears of the sick princess and decides that he can help her. Through their journey they meet many different people and when they arrive at the palace, they are not alone anymore.
This story is a Hungarian rendition of "The Golden Goose." I am again not familiar with this show more folklore tale but I thought it was cute! This story is told like many of the others and has a more natural feel other than a book feel. I think that this is important because it still connects the reader to the author and does not have the "book feel" disconnect. show less

This Hungarian version of "the Golden Goose" tells of a young boy who has a golden lamb that helps him become rich. This light hearted tale will have children laughing and enjoying this story as the golden lamb is able to dance and entertain the king's daughter that in turns earns the young boy three bags of gold coins.

This story would possibly be enjoyed most by younger students. It would be great to incorporate dancing and music into a lesson plan from this story.

The Little Golden Lamb was about a boy who had a golden lamb, and the lamb was magical. Whoever touched the lamb was stuck to it. He was bringing the lamb to the princess to make her laugh because she has been ill. He was able to make her laugh, and he ended up marrying the princess. I would definitely read this to my students. As an activity to go along with this book, I would make K-3 color a lamb. I would make grades 1-5 come up with ways to make the princess laugh.

The Little Golden Lamb is a spin off of the tale "The Golden Goose." The lamb in the story has a golden coat, and anyone who touches his coat sticks to it. This is a fun little tale that students ail enjoy.