Peel risks his life to save his brother Pome's new bride from her father's evil curse.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Ms. Ehrlich lives in Vermont.
Grade 2-4 --Tiny print on the verso of the title page cites the source of this dark Venetian tale of loss and restoration. A childless wife eats a magic apple, and her maid eats the peel; both become pregnant. The resulting sons grow up as brothers and, as young men, travel to find an unlaughing wizard's daughter. Released by the brothers, she departs with them to marry Pome. Feeling betrayed, her father curses his daughter, but after three witches intervene, Peel deflects the curse through behavior that strikes others as murderous. Condemned to death, he reveals the truth of his deeds, causing himself to turn to stone; the remorseful wizard restores the boy's life at his daughter's petition. It's a complex tale happening over a long time span and in different places, weighty with events and traditional folkloric elements. While the orderly telling manages it all comfortably, the result is more academic than lively. Gal's tempera paintings glow with near-Italianate light, and the color is much cleaner than in some of his earlier Canadian work. The highly controlled composition incorporates detail into the page design to convey place and time. But control is the organizing force here, and for all the operatic events and the visual theatricality, the mood of both words and pictures remains glacial and studied. Potentially of interest to folklore students, but its child appeal is questionable. --Karen Litton, London Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Seller: Schindler-Graf Booksellers, Westlake, OH, U.S.A.
Condition: Collectible; Like New. First Printing hardcover in dust jacket. Dial Library Edition label in gold foil mounted about spine. No marks or writing in book. Clean and fresh. Library Binding. Seller Inventory # IS-M5W8-3NB6