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Summary
Summary
Six delightful stories, some familiar, some, less so, freshly translated by a noted author and sumptuously illustrated by a renowned artist.
There have been many collections of tales from the Brothers Grimm over the years but few as engaging, and as handsome, as this one. Doris Orgel, who treasured these stories as a child in Vienna, has chosen six of her favorites, all featuring animal characters, and brought them to life for contemporary audiences. In addition to the title story the collection includes The Hare and the Hedgehog, King of the Birds, How the Birds and Beasts Went to War, The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, and The Fox and the Geese.
The stories are accompanied by marvelously detailed illustrations by Bert Kitchen, who previously collaborated with Ms. Orgel on her collection of Aesop tales, The Lion and the Mouse.
Author Notes
Doris Orgel was born Doris Adelberg in Vienna, Austria on February 15, 1929. She is the author of numerous children's books including Ariadne, Awake!, We Goddesses, and My Mother's Daughter. The Devil in Vienna received a Phoenix Award Honor in 1998. It was made into a Disney Channel film, A Friendship in Vienna (1988). Her books Sarah's Room and Dwarf Long-Nose were illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Merry, Rose, and Christmas-Tree-June was illustrated by Edward Gorey.
She also translated children's books from German to English. Her work included Nero Corleone: A Cat's Story by Elke Heidenreich and Daniel Half Human by David Chotjewitz. Both books were Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Books. She reviewed for the New York Times and participated in the Bank Street Writers Lab.
She attended Radcliffe College (1946-1948) and graduated from Barnard College (1950). Doris Orgel died on August 4, 2021. She was 92.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Starred Review. K-Gr 3-Six Grimm tales are newly translated and retold in a clear storytelling style that's perfect for reading aloud. The eponymous story leads off, followed by five lesser-known tales including "The Hare and the Hedgehog," "King of the Birds," "When the Birds and the Beasts Went to War," "The Fox and the Geese," and the more familiar "The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids." In an introductory note, Orgel recalls hearing her parents tell the stories in German in the plattdeutsch dialect and explains her method of translating and retelling so as to make the stories appealing for today's readers. At the end of each story she includes a brief comment, sometimes describing minor changes she chose to make. Kitchen'srepresentational paintings are meticulously rendered, softly textured works of art, often putting one in mind of Audubon and in perfect harmony with the tradition of the tales. Each page of text appears against a white background within a narrow frame depicting the landscape in which the story is set. Illustrations done in rich color range from tiny vignettes to full pages, and many are set in ovals or rectangles within the text frame. A one-page biographical sketch of the Grimm Brothers completes the book. A treasure of a treasury.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The creators of The Lion and the Mouse deliver another handsomely illustrated collection, this time upbeat tales from the Brothers Grimm. Orgel, whose first language was German, stays faithful to the animal stories while adding fresh touches to her translations of the half dozen selections. For instance, the hedgehog wife comes up with a strategy to outwit the hare, rather than her husband, in "The Hare and the Hedgehog"; and the Bremen Town Musicians call each other by humorous names, such as "Whisker-Washer" for the cat and "Rabbit-Grabber" for the hound (Orgel explains her contributions in a brief endnote for each tale). A couple of lesser-known stories, such as "When the Birds and the Beasts Went to War" and "The Fox and the Geese," also make their way into this compilation. She often ends the tale with commentary or personal insights: "In the Grimm Brothers' time this tale was told as a warning to kids (the human kind) not to let strangers in," Orgel explains at the end of "The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids." Kitchen's attractive paintings, in full-page renderings and spot illustrations, feature realistic animals in muted browns and grays against rural landscapes. He does not endow them with human qualities but rather allows their true animal natures to shine through in his meticulous portraits. Each whisker and feather seems tactile enough to touch. Soft cream or blue borders frame the text, set cleanly and spaciously on the page. A brief biography of the Grimms rounds out what will soon become a family favorite. Ages 5-9. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) In an exemplary note, Orgel says she first loved the Grimms' tales in her native German, as a child; she has worked from those originals here, making just a few changes for today's children, ""skipping what seemed preachy or obscure, but always very carefully, so as not to harm the 'oldness,' because that's where the magic is."" She succeeds admirably, providing six fresh, lively retellings that will be a particular boon to storytellers. An abridged ""King of the Birds,"" in which tiny, wily Kinglet wins his crown, makes a fine prelude to ""When the Birds and Beasts Went to War,"" wherein Kinglet's trickery averts the threatened conflict. The only other substantial alteration is a significant improvement: in ""The Hare and the Hedgehog,"" the wife, not her authoritarian spouse, is now the trickster. ""The Bremen Town Musicians,"" ""The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids,"" and the brief ""Fox and the Geese"" remain virtually unchanged. Bert Kitchen's elegantly detailed animals are strongly realistic, yet imbued with character, dignity, and a beguiling whiff of humor. A concluding note sets the Grimms and their mode of transcription in context. A beautifully designed book, this makes a grand introduction to the Grimms. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Similar in format to this team's The Lion and the Mouse and Other Aesop's Fables, this handsomely designed collection of retellings of six Grimm stories is distinctive in voice and image. The tales are both familiar and lesser known: The Hare and the Hedgehog, King of the Birds, When the Birds and Beasts Went to War, The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, The Fox and the Geese, and the title tale. Author and artist notes in the front cite each one's approach to Aesop; Orgel worked directly from the German text and updated some language; Kitchen describes how the Grimm tales appeal to the child in all of us. His elegant, finely textured illustrations resonate, setting the boxed text against scenery backdrops. A one-page biography of the Grimm Brothers adds a finishing touch. The retellings flow nicely from one story to the next. A beautiful family gift book. (Folklore. 5-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The creators of The Lion and the Mouse and Other Aesop's Fables 0 (2000) offer another beautifully illustrated collection of tales, this time from the Brothers Grimm. Orgel has selected a group of animal stories, including "The Hare and the Hedgehog," "King of the Birds," and, of course, "The Bremen Town Musicians." Austrian by birth, Orgel translated the stories herself from German texts, and she retells them in the lively language and expert pacing of an experienced storyteller, following each selection with a short note about changes she made to the original. Kitchen contributes exquisitely detailed scenes in soft, muted colors and minute, feathery strokes, rendering remarkably expressive animals and atmospheric landscapes. A fine read-aloud for large or small groups, this will make an excellent addition to elementary classroom units about the Grimms. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist
