The Good Stepmother - Hardcover

Marguerita Rudolph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671682709 ISBN 13: 9780671682705

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1992

Synopsis

None of the wonderful things that Princess Elena has can make up for her lost mother, so she and her father think up a secret scheme for finding the most caring of all potential stepmothers in the kingdom.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

This sweet if somewhat insubstantial retelling of a Russian folktale concerns a motherless princess who finds her father a loving wife. The story moves along swiftly as it describes how young Princess Elena devises a test of compassion to choose a stepmother from the assembled women of the village. Rudolph's depiction of the search process is satisfying, although the tale suffers slightly from an abrupt, happily-ever-after resolution. We're left wanting to know more about what happens to the hastily chosen bride. Unfortunately, the story's authentic Old World feel is seriously marred by May's artwork. Her hyperrealistic illustrations, with their emphasis on close-ups showing every hair on the characters' heads, have the flat, airbrushed look of commercial art. Despite their period dress, these characters have a disconcertingly contemporary appearance. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A story for those who enjoy happily-ever-after fairy tales. Elena, a good and beautiful young princess with a kind and loving father, has almost everything she could wish for--except a mother. Fearful of making a poor decision in his choice of a wife, the king agrees to let Elena select one for him, and through a subtle trick she chooses wisely. The illustrations match the plot's sugary tone. Elegant and beautiful men and women live in rooms mellowed by golden light. Watercolors are applied so that faces glow and satin gowns shine. Nothing is amiss. In fact, scenes are arranged with such perfection that activity appears frozen and static. In spite of this flaw, there is some gratification in reading a gracefully told story with a satisfying ending. --Nancy Seiner, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0671682709
• ISBN 13: 9780671682705
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Darcy May