The secret of the tattered shoes

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Title:

The secret of the tattered shoes

Author:

Morris, Jackie, author.

Abdollahi, Ehsan, illustrator.

Summary:

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is a fresh interpretation of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale about twelve princesses who are locked in at night, yet whose dancing shoes are still worn down by morning. A young soldier is tasked to discover their night-time adventures. But unlike the story told by the Brothers Grimm, this soldier seeks a different ending. Jackie's dark and poetic text updates this well-known tale and shows how stories evolve and adapt over time. Beautifully illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, who has created stunning puppet-like illustrations in rich and delicate detail, this unique illustrative style brings the story to life and perfectly encapsulate the beauty and melancholy of the story.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Fairy tales.

Subject Term:

Princesses -- Juvenile fiction.

Dance -- Juvenile fiction.

Soldiers -- Juvenile fiction.

Secrecy -- Juvenile fiction.

Shoes -- Juvenile fiction.

Fairy tales -- Adaptations -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Abdollahi, Ehsan,

Publisher:

Tiny Owl Publishing,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9781910328378

Publication Information:

London : Tiny Owl Publishing, 2019.

Call Number:

P MORRIS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003502880	Picture Books	MORRIS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is a fresh interpretation of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale about twelve princesses who are locked in at night, yet whose dancing shoes are still worn down by morning. A young soldier is tasked to discover their night-time adventures. But unlike the story told by the Brothers Grimm, this soldier seeks a different ending. Jackie's dark and poetic text updates this well-known tale and shows how stories evolve and adapt over time.Beautifully illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, who has created stunning puppet-like illustrations in rich and delicate detail, this unique illustrative style brings the story to life and perfectly encapsulate the beauty and melancholy of the story.

Author Notes

EHSAN ABDOLLAHI is an illustrator and teaches at Tehran Art University in Iran. Ehsan creates handmade and hand-colored paper in his collages, which are inspired by the environment, fabrics and clothes of the people he meets. Ehsan has also illustrated Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me (2015) for Sourcebooks and When I Coloured in the World (2015) and A Bottle of Happiness (2016) for Tiny Owl.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 1--5--A soldier, tired and jaded from all he has seen and done, happens upon a kind and mysterious woman in the woods. He tells her his story and she tells him of a king, his 12 daughters, and a mystery: Although the princesses are locked up at night, they greet each morning exhausted, their shoes in tatters. But why? The king has offered a great reward (a bride) to the individual who can solve the mystery. However, the king has also promised a great consequence (death) to those who should try and fail. Feeling he has nothing to lose, the world-weary soldier attempts to solve the mystery. To this point, the tale stays true to the original, known more conventionally as "The 12 Dancing Princesses." But when the successful suitor is offered his reward, he leaves to pursue love instead of wealth, by seeking out the woman in the forest. Each full-bleed spread features the intricately detailed panels of Abdollahi's signature style, which showcases the characters almost as Byzantine marionettes, acting out their roles. The handcrafted paper collages feature a rich array of color and form. VERDICT A modern twist on a classic tale, this title has a ready place in most collections.--Jessica Caron, Bancroft Sch., MA

Publisher's Weekly Review

The glitter of the tale of 12 dancing princesses gains deeper luster in Morris's deft retelling. The hero, a white soldier "weary from war... troubled by all that he had seen and much that he had done," meets a woman in the wood who "brimmed with light and life." She tells him of the conundrum of the princesses' tattered shoes, suggests that he try to solve it ("Failure is punished by death"), and gives him "a cloak, mysterious as twilight" that will make him invisible. After he discovers the multi-ethnic sisters' secret, he tells the king, "When I watched your daughters dance in the enchanted ballroom, so beautiful, it warmed my heart to see such love. But how that love was won, and at what a price, made my heart sore. So many died to keep their secret." Spurning the princesses, he returns to the woman in the wood. Abdollahi's angular, collage-like illustrations use rich color accented with gold to conjure enchanted fairy tale realms. Ages 5--8. (Nov.)