East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent
Publisher/Year: Candlewick Press, 1992
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Goodreads
Summary
A kind of Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast, this epic romantic story about a bewitched prince and the determined lassie who loves him has just about everything: rags and riches, hags and heroism, magic and mystery, a curse and a quest, wicked trolls, a shape-shifting bear, and finally, a happy ending.
Master children’s book illustrator P. J. Lynch has created a luminous backdrop worthy of this grand adventure, transporting readers to a world of fantasy and imagination.
What I thought
If you are a fan of fairytales and/or a fan of picture books, you NEED to get your hands on a copy of this book as soon as possible.
I had never read this tale (or any of its adaptations) before, and it’s such a lovely, adventurous, romantic, and fantastical story. It instills such a sense of wonder–I know I would have loved this as a child.
As is the case with fairytales, this tale definitely has its dark moments, what between the trolls, the hags, and even the lassie’s mother. And I particularly adored the element of repetition, reminiscent of traditional folklore. This is most definitely a story to be read aloud.
As far as the illustrations go, there really are not words to describe how stunning P. J. Lynch’s artwork is. The illustrations are evocative and atmospheric–they add to that sense of wonder I mentioned.
East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon is a gorgeously illustrated fairytale that is not to be missed. I definitely need to add this to my shelves!
Jessika Reads 