This classic fairytale retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky won the Caldecott Medal in 1997. It is easy to see why. The illustrations are oil paintings. The style is Italian Renaissance. Each illustration is framed so that they look as if they could all be hanging in a museum. The story is also well written. It is truly an important piece to have in any collection of fairy tales.
However, what I found even more intriguing than the actual story were the three pages of research at the end. Paul O. Zelinsky was able to uncover a broad history of this tale that spans the countries of France, Italy and Germany and dates back as far as 1634. The story has taken on many forms and names. He shares with us many interesting facts. For instance, the original story had the pregnant mother craving parsley (petrosine) and the daughter's name was then Petrosinella. The antagonist also ranges from a sorceress to a witch to a fairy. She is sometimes motherly to the girl and sometimes treats her as a prisoner. Zelinsky states that he has tried to bring together the most appealing aspects of all of the forms of the tale. I think he has done a marvelous job.
This classic fairytale retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky won the Caldecott Medal in 1997. It is easy to see why. The illustrations are oil paintings. The style is Italian Renaissance. Each illustration is framed so that they look as if they could all be hanging in a museum. The story is also well written. It is truly an important piece to have in any collection of fairy tales.
However, what I found even more intriguing than the actual story were the three pages of research at the end. Paul O. Zelinsky was able to uncover a broad history of this tale that spans the countries of France, Italy and Germany and dates back as far as 1634. The story has taken on many forms and names. He shares with us many interesting facts. For instance, the original story had the pregnant mother craving parsley (petrosine) and the daughter's name was then Petrosinella. The antagonist also ranges from a sorceress to a witch to a fairy. She is sometimes motherly to the girl and sometimes treats her as a prisoner. Zelinsky states that he has tried to bring together the most appealing aspects of all of the forms of the tale. I think he has done a marvelous job.
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