The Emperor's New Clothes (Works in Translation)

Ingeniously reset in a tiny imaginary kingdom, this popular tale follows the adventures of a couple of clever con men who come up with an ingenious scheme that fools the emperor and his sycophantic court, and teaches them all a lesson in humility.

Grade 2 Up. Lewis always seems to find just the right tone and turn of phrase to translate Andersen's stories. This retelling is similar to but not as succinct as the version she included in Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales (Puffin, 1996). Also, she puts a slightly different spin on the ending here: the father does not comprehend that what his daughter is saying is true. He only wants to hush her and avoid embarrassment. Lewis's awareness of such subtleties as the likely reaction of a startled parent to an importunate child is the kind of detail that brings life to her retellings. Barrett has set the story in a small European country in 1913, an innocent time nostalgically evoked. The double-spread watercolors have elegant forms and imaginative compositions and are beautifully painted. A richness is achieved through the combination of delicate colors with vivid, darker accents and the pictures are full of clever touches. The vain monarch is shown on stamps, coins, and currency. In one picture he is portrayed as a paper doll next to a row of costumes with tabs on them. Busy dogs appear everywhere. In the final scene, the king is seen naked from behind with suntan marks showing the contours of his evidently modest bathing costume. The sense of order in this beautiful and civilized little world gives a sort of jolly tone to the whole undertaking. This enchanting and witty interpretation of an old favorite belongs in every collection.?Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Lewis (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, 1992, etc.), a plucky new treatment of the familiar tale. Here the emperor, everyone's favorite sartorial obsessive, is a preWW I dandy, but he is the same chump as always, duped by the two prankster weavers. Their cloth, ``invisible to anyone who was unfit for his job or particularly stupid,'' has all the court's self-important retainers and grandees in a swivet: They can't see the cloth but dare not admit it in fear of being branded an incompetent or a fool. The ruse goes all the way to the top, to the emperor's self-doubts and conventionality, and his absurd procession: When exposed for the clown he is by a child's shout, the emperor remains calm`` `If I stop, it will spoil the procession. And that would never do.' So on he stepped, even more proudly than before.'' The translation is fine and sure, and Barrett's artwork is splendid, full of lively vignettes and early-20th-century details, complete with a company of wise dogs and the impeccably expressive faces of bystanders. (Picture book/folklore. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.