The Blacksmith and the Devils, English language version,

Brusca, Maria Cristina & Wilson, Tona - retellers, Brusca, Maria Cristina, ill.,

ISBN 10: 0805019545 / ISBN 13: 9780805019544

Published by Henry Holt and Company/New York,, 1999

About this Item

hard cover, unpaged, 8 3/8 x 10 1/4 inches, 1st edition fine book condition, very good dust jacket, juvenile picture book,

Seller Inventory # E 1456

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Blacksmith and the Devils, English language version,
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Company/New York,
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805019545
• ISBN 13: 9780805019544
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Brusca, Maria Cristina
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • children's,

About this title

Synopsis

In this Argentine version of a Hispanic folktale, a blacksmith makes a deal with the devil to extend his youth and good fortune

Reviews

Grade 2-4-- A familiar folktale motif is that of the clever man who outwits the devil. In this zesty retelling, based on an Argentinian source, that man is Juan Pobreza, a poor blacksmith who reshoes a mule belonging to St. Peter and charges nothing for the job. Touched, St. Peter asks the man to name three wishes. Juan, sure that Peter is not who he claims to be, makes three seemingly senseless wishes that help him out later when he must deal with the agents of the devil. In the twist at the end, Pobreza finds himself barred from both heaven and hell. The rather lengthy narrative is couched in active, visual language that is well matched by cartoon watercolor pictures rendered in bright translucent hues. However, the story would be best used in oral form, learned and told, allowing students to form their own images of the crafty blacksmith. Reminiscent in both its form and its inherently tellable quality of Mary Calhoun's Big Sixteen (Morrow, 1983; o.p.), this has potential for storytimes dealing with either Hispanic culture or the cross-cultural nature of folktales.
- Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent, WA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Published simultaneously in Spanish and English editions, this dynamic Argentine folktale puts a new spin on the Faust legend. Juan Pobreza, a poor but generous blacksmith, does indeed sell his soul to the devil, but, scamp that he is, manages to outwit him not once but thrice, each time wangling a contract for 20 years of youth, riches and adventure. Unfortunately, there is no happy ending for Pobreza. Because he insulted St. Peter--"Shut up, you fat old idiot!"--he's unwelcome in heaven; and since the devil certainly doesn't want him either, he's doomed to wander the pampas forever. Brusca ( On the Pampas ) and Wilson's fresh retelling bristles with energy, and the vibrantly colored, angular illustrations (occasionally calling to mind a cartoonier version of Dirk Zimmer's work) mesh neatly with the yarn's larger-than-life nature. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.