Dwarf Nose - Hardcover

Wilhelm Hauff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558582614 ISBN 13: 9781558582613

Publisher: North-South Books, 1994

Synopsis

After unwisely insulting a disagreeable old woman in the market, Jacob is persuaded to help carry her purchases home and unknowingly falls under a spell that lasts seven years and drastically changes his appearance.

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Reviews

Grade 3-6?An odd, rather lengthy German fairy tale, written in 1827. When a boy insults an elderly fairy, she changes him into a squirrel and makes him work in her household, run by guinea pigs and squirrels, for seven years. At the end of that time, he is transformed into a hunchbacked, long-nosed dwarf. Spurned by his parents and chased by the townspeople, he uses his skills as a chef (learned from his time in the fairy's service) to obtain work in the Duke's kitchen. With the help of an enchanted goose (really a wizard's daughter), he reverses the spells, and all ends happily. Dwarf Long-Nose (Random, 1960; o.p.), translated by Doris Orgel and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, has a nicer flow to the language and a more eye-pleasing format; Bell's translation is capable, but stiff, and unlike the people in many of Zwerger's earlier books, the main characters here are painted in a somewhat surrealistic style. A dear illustration of the animals in the old fairy's house and a scene in the Duke's kitchen soften the appropriately grotesque tenor of the book. Libraries that do not own the earlier version may want to consider this new one.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-5, younger for reading aloud. A new translation of Hauff's 1827 fairy tale tells the story of Jacob, a young boy kidnapped by an old woman. He insults her, and in return, she transforms him into an ugly dwarf with a long nose. When he finally escapes, he goes unrecognized by his parents and is forced to work as a cook for a duke until a young girl who has been turned into a goose helps him undo the spell. He reciprocates by helping her regain her true form. Zwerger's Old World^-style watercolor paintings mesh nicely with the classic text, and combined with high quality paper, they make for an elegant book. Most intriguing are the fanciful illustrations; for example, the one featuring the young goose/girl can be viewed from multiple perspectives. Although the story may seem somewhat verbose to modern listeners, it will be popular with fairy tale fans and belongs in larger collections. Kay Weisman

Edition details

• Publisher: North-South Books
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1558582614
• ISBN 13: 9781558582613
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lisbeth Zwerger
• Number of pages: 49