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Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J 822.33 COV | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
ÂThere is a disease that can twist menÂs hearts and make them mad, and the name of that disease is jealousy. So begins this engaging retelling of one of William ShakespeareÂs last playsÂa fascinating and unique combination of intensity and whimsy. When King Leontes unfairly accuses his wife of infidelity, he sets off a terrible chain of events. But this is not one of ShakespeareÂs tragedies. ItÂs a romance, and one with a healthy dose of fancy and surprise. A story of redemption and the strength of friendship and true love, The WinterÂs Taleis perhaps also Bruce CovilleÂs most eloquent retelling yet, complemented masterfully by illustrator LeUyen Pham, whose rich and dramatic paintings are a revelation.
Author Notes
Bruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, on May 16, 1950. He spent one year at Duke University in North Carolina. Coville started working seriously at becoming a writer when he was seventeen. He was not able to start selling stories right away, so he had many other jobs, including toymaker, gravedigger, cookware salesman, and assembly line worker. Eventually, Coville became an elementary teacher, and worked with second and fourth graders.
Coville married Katherine Dietz an artist, and they began trying to create books together. It wasn't until 1977 that they finally sold their first book, The Foolish Giant. They joined together on two other books after that, Sarah's Unicorn and The Monster's Ring, and followed them with Goblins in the Castle, Aliens Ate My Homework, and The World's Worst Fairy Godmother.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-Coville once again offers a prose introduction to one of Shakespeare's often-produced plays. Polixenes, King of Bohemia, is ending his visit to his childhood friend Leontes, King of Sicily, when, after the prodding of the queen, he decides to stay longer. Immediately Leontes flies into a rage, convinced that Hermione is unfaithful. Before his jealous passion can be subdued, he loses his son, his wife, his trusted servant, and his daughter, and plunges his once-peaceful kingdom into a court of terror. Sixteen years later, Paulina, Hermione's faithful servant, unveils a lifelike statue of the queen that Leontes longs to kiss. When Paulina orders the "statue" to descend, the king discovers that both his wife and his daughter are alive, and the sorrowful court becomes once more a place of joy. The play's fanciful elements and happily-ever-after ending will have special appeal for girls weaned on fairy tales and eager for romance. The text, ever faithful to the original play, includes poetic lines quoted appropriately within the story to introduce the Bard's language and style, and the tale is easy to follow, despite the plot's many twists and turns. Unfortunately, the watercolor and gouache paintings, though rich in color and realistic detail, sometimes lack conviction in the characters' expressions, and the figures' physical proportions appear somewhat distorted. Still, they elucidate the important moments and help to clarify the sometimes-confusing elements. While these illustrations do not have the power of those in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996) or Twelfth Night (2003, both Dial), this retelling will serve as an excellent introduction to one of the Bard's later plays.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
One of Shakespeare's more problematic romances gets a picture-book treatment in Coville's new rendition. Jealous King Leontes suspects without reason that his wife and best friend are having an affair. Despite the protests of his most trusted advisors, he sentences his wife to death and demands that her newborn babe be cast into the wilderness. There the child is discovered by a kindly shepherd and raised as a peasant until the day a wayfaring prince falls in love with her. In true Shakespearean fashion, all works out well in the end with true identities discovered, families reunited and multiple weddings to boot. For a tale of suspected infidelity and death, author and artist do as much as they can for what boils down to a fairly adult story. Some judicious editing of the text would not have been out of place--the character of Autolycus weighs down an otherwise succinct narrative. Yet the cleverly selected direct quotes and theatrical watercolor and gouache images make this a more than adequate companion to the original play. (Picture book/play. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Coville retells The Winter's Tale in his seventh prose version of a Shakespearian play. Bitten by unwarranted jealousy, the king of Sicilia decides that his wife has been unfaithful, imprisons her, and orders a trusted advisor to poison his supposed rival. The queen soon gives birth to a daughter, who is abandoned and raised by shepherds. Meanwhile, the king's advisor flees with the man he was ordered to kill. Fast-forwarding 16 years, the convoluted tale unfolds with love rewarded, discoveries made, and a surprisingly happy ending. Although the many characters and intertwined plot strands may confuse some readers, Coville does a good job of retelling the story for young people. Some of the watercolor-and-gouache paintings seem overly theatrical or romantic in style, but others show more restraint and depth. This appears to be the only picture-book version of the play available.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2007 Booklist
