The Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor's New Clothes, illustrated by Angela Barrett.

Angela Barrett has always been one of my favorite fairy-tale illustrators - an artist whose work never fails to create a sense of depth and mystery, or to evoke an intense emotional response. Her Snow White was a masterpiece - a breathtakingly lovely book with luminous scenes that are simultaneously delicate and lush. So when a friend's review alerted me to the fact that Barrett had also done a version of The Emperor's New Clothes, I lost no time in locating a copy. How fortunate that I did!

This edition of Andersen's classic tale is translated by Naomi Lewis, who worked with Barrett on Proud Knight, Fair Lady, a children's edition of the lais of Marie de France. The humorous story show more of a rather silly emperor, who is conned by two rogue "tailors," the narrative reads smoothly, and is located by Barrett in an early twentieth-century European milieu. While as foreign to Andersen's time as it is to ours, somehow this back-drop seems just right. The emperor's many beloved dogs add a sense of visual whimsy that perfectly suits the humor. Highly recommended! show less

The Emperor's New Clothes, illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.

This edition of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, in which a vain emperor is taken in by two thieves posing as weavers, really takes me back! I'm not entirely sure, but I think it may be the version I had as a child, as Virginia Lee Burton's illustrations look so familiar. Then again, I had her Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel practically memorized as a girl, so perhaps it's simply that I know her style?

In any case, it is an engaging retelling, with an appealing, well-paced narrative, and charming illustrations set in the eighteenth century. Burton's paintings are colorful, and have an interesting "blurring" effect (perhaps because of the ink, or their small size?) show more that reminded me of Elizabeth Orton Jones' work in What Miranda Knew, my all-time favorite picture-book as a very young child. I wouldn't say that this style reflects my tastes as an adult, but there is no doubt that it has great nostalgic appeal for me. Those who feel the same will be delighted to know that this particular edition of The Emperor's New Clothes, first published in 1949, was reprinted in 2004. show less

The Emperor's New Clothes is a funny book about an emperor who is fooled by weavers that were supposed to be making him beautiful clothes. All the adults in the book are tricked into thinking the weavers are really making beautiful clothes and they are all too prideful to say that they do not see any clothes being made. Worried that they might be looked at as stupid, is the main reason the adults go along with the tricksters. I loved the out spoken truth of the children at the end that yell "he's naked". Being too prideful and worrying too much about what others think, can lead to a pretty embarrassing situation. This is a funny story that can be used to teach a valuable lesson.

(Included in the Yellow Fairy Book)

An quite entertaining story that despite its age, stands pretty well today as a lesson/moral in regards to going along with whatever others are thinking/saying, even if the subject (or fad/clothing) is really stupid.

I love this book because it takes a ridiculous situation and teaches a good moral from it. In the story, the Emperor is so vain and consumed with his wardrobe, that he hires two swindlers that claim to weave "the most wonderful cloth imaginable." Their cloth also "had the extraordinary quality of being invisible to anyone either badly suited for his position or unforgivably stupid." After multiple people go to check on the weavers and are too prideful to admit that they cannot see the fabric, the Emperor eventually wears his new "clothes" that are nonexistent out in the open and a child points out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes. I like this book because the pictures have a mix of black and white and color, and they are very show more detailed. They nicely accompany the text. The message of the story is do not be so prideful that you pretend to see something that is not there. show less

Collections
Picture book
Grades: k-4
Traditional literature
The Emperor's New Clothes is a story that has been retold for years. I think the reason for this is it gives a great moral message in a comical way. In the story a self-absorbed emperor gets tricked by two deceiving fools. Had the emperor been honest with himself and others he would have found out the truth that there was no fabric, and that the "seamsters" were only pretending to make him an outfit. Since the emperor was too proud to admit that he could not see anything he ended up parading around the town wearing nothing but his birthday suit. It was only when one honest young boy pointed out that the emperor was naked that the people came to their senses. Many people are often show more too proud to admit that they do not know something. I think this story points out that it is better to ask than to be a real fool. show less

In The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, some of the wording seems to be written in an odd order, but that is due to the era in which it was written. Even so, the story itself is very comedic. The emperor loves clothes, so much so that he changes into a new outfit every hour.

On day, two tricksters decide to prank him. They tell him that they can make him a garment of the finest quality. The garment will be invisible to those who are stupid or not fit for their position. The emperor is all for it and gives the tricksters the material they require. The tricksters take the materials for themselves and pretend to weave the garment. The emperor sends people to check on the garment. None of them can see it, but they will not show more admit it. If they did, the emperor would think they were either stupid or unfit for their position. They pretend to see it and tell the emperor how fabulous it is.

When the garment is completed, the emperor goes to have a look at it. He cannot see it. He lies so that his people do not think he is stupid or unfit to lead. The tricksters comment on how light the fabric is and ask the emperor to take off his clothes so that they may dress him. He takes off his clothes and the tricksters dress him. The emperor checks himself out in the mirror, examining the fabric that is not there.

The tricksters lead him out to the procession. No one in the crowd sees the garments. After a while, a boy says that the emperor is without clothes. People begin to talk and word gets back to the emperor. At this point, he knows that he has been tricked. He still does not want to admit it, so he continues the procession with even more confidence.

It is no wonder why people enjoy this story. It shows how gullible people can be, as well as how far they will go to make others believe they are smart and worthy. It also teaches a valuable lesson to the emperor. He was so concerned about changing his clothes every hour and being adored, when no one really cared about what he wore. The fact that he remained confident in his “underwear”, once he found out he had been tricked, shows that he grew a bit as a person.

The message is there, but it is not force-fed to the reader. This makes it a great children’s story, both for the moral and entertainment value. Hans’ life story alone is enough to inspire, but his prolific writing puts the icing on the cake. He is the kind of author who should be on everyone’s to-be-read list. show less