Clever Katarina: A Tale in Six Parts - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0887767648 ISBN 13: 9780887767647

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2006

Synopsis

In the grand tradition of fairy tales, clever and beautiful Katarina must solve the king’s riddle in order to become queen, or risk her dear father going to prison. She must get to the castle — not clothed, yet not naked; not riding, yet not walking; not on the road, yet not off the road. Will kindhearted Katarina be able to solve the riddle and save her father from his fate?

Renowned storyteller Ken Setterington has borrowed from European folk traditions to tell an enchanting story of a young girl — intelligent, observant, and pure of heart — whose sensitivity and acumen saves the day.

Nelly and Ernst Hofer’s delicate cut-paper art of scherenschnitt makes this storybook an exquisite addition to any collection.

About this title

About the Author:

Ken Setterington is an international authority on children’s books. He was named the first Children and Youth Advocate for Library Services by the Toronto Public Library and won a prestigious Toronto Arts Award for Writing and Publishing for his work with children’s literature. Most recently, he co-wrote A Guide to Canadian Children’s Books. He has published two books for children with Tundra: The Snow Queen and Wild Swans, both of which were also illustrated by the Hofers.

Nelly and Ernst Hofer learned the folk art of scherenschnitt in their native Switzerland. Their first book was the award-winning Silent Night: The Song From Heaven by Linda Granfield. Nelly and Ernst Hofer live on a farm in Perth County, Ontario.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-6–Setterington has retold the short Grimm tale known as The Peasant's Clever Daughter, drawing it out to six parts through description and conversation. It tells of a poor farmer's daughter who solves a riddle to win the king's heart and hand, and then saves her marriage after angering her husband. Each chapter has a heading and is prefaced by a lovely cut-paper silhouette–a quadrilateral fan shape showing either a layered rural scene or a scene within the castle. Other paper cuts range in size from tiny insects, leaves, and birds to small strips and half-page vignettes depicting rejoicing peasants and small scenes from the story. A four-page introduction to the art of paper cutting is appended. While the artwork is appealing, the embellished retelling adds little to the tale, which can be found in its original form in The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (Random, 1986).–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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About this edition

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0887767648
• ISBN 13: 9780887767647
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Hofer Nelly, Hofer Ernst