Curse in Reverse [Hardcover]

Tom Coppinger (Author), Dirk Zimmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

After a witch places a curse on them, a childless couple lives in fear for many years before coming to understand that the curse is really a blessing in disguise.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Agnezza the Witch comes to the town of Humburg on a cold winter night looking for shelter. She is turned away first by an innkeeper and then by a wealthy landowner, and she curses each of them as she leaves. She is then welcomed in by a poor couple who feed her and even give her their own bed for the night. To their surprise, they, too, receive a curse upon her departure. They watch in horror as the other two curses are fulfilled, and their lives are filled with fear and trepidation as they anticipate their turn. When Agnezza returns, she explains that their curse was "a curse in reverse," and that if they look at the changes in their lives, they will see that they have actually received a blessing. The plot is thin and predictable, and the attempts at humor are strained. The theme of kindness rewarded is handled far more effectively in many other stories, including Joanna Cole's Bony-Legs (S & S, 1984), also illustrated by Zimmer. In Curse, the artist's pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are stylistically reminiscent of Edward Gorey's work in their settings and landscapes, although the people are cartoonlike. An additional purchase for large collections.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. After a long journey, the witch Agnezza seeks shelter in a snowy forest village. The first two doors she tries belong to wealthy misers who send her away with insults. In return, Agnezza delivers a curse (and a sizable gob of spit) at each doorstep. Then a childless couple, the Tretters, offer her dinner and their only bed for the night. When Agnezza returns their kindness with the "Curse of the one-armed man," they are naturally puzzled. Later, Mrs. Tretter gives birth, and as Mr. Tretter carries out his household chores with his one free arm, baby on hip, the couple realizes the hidden gift in Agnezza's spell. In his picture-book debut, Coppinger borrows many familiar folktale elements and fashions them into a humorous story filled with gleeful surprises. He writes with lively dramatic language that is just right for read-alouds, while Zimmer's textured ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture the humor and farce in the delightfully off-kilter winter scenes and visages of the motley villagers. A good, light choice for enlivening a winter story hour. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689830963
• ISBN-13: 978-0689830969
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,456,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Curse in Reverse is a clever twist in a folksy package, November 18, 2005

By 

charles smith-dewey "Author/Illustrator Uncle... (Lakeville, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Curse in Reverse (Hardcover)

This book, by author Tom Coppinger, is a pure delight! I'm an old softy for stories that hint of old Celtic folk tales, and especially ones like this that build to an unexpected but delightful ending! Derek Zimmer's illustrations give the perfect flavoring to the tale. His touch is evident from the cover, where the tower rising in front of a wood-cutty block of the title shows attention to detail. I like the understated small illustration of the witch on the cover -- it invites you, rather than having the character get in your face -- showing the confidence that the illustrator has in the material he is working with.
But it's the story that is the star here, and the story is what earns it a permanent spot on my own bookshelf. Agnezza the witch is a character I would like to see again, and I hope the author continues to develop a stable of characters like this to populate the worlds he creates! Buy this book -- top recommendation.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Instant Classic!, January 22, 2012

By 

Cubby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curse in Reverse (Hardcover)

Tom Coppinger's Curse in Reverse has taken its rightful place on my bookshelf along with all my favorite children's classics. It's a delightful tale with illustrations that capture the wonder and magic of a child's world. And like all classic stories, it offers an enduring lesson about the power of kindness over fear and indifference. Hats off to the author and illustrator, and I look forward to reading Mr. Coppinger's next work.

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting twist for young readers, July 18, 2010

By 

DeeDee Fox "Dee Dee Fox" (Rapid City, SD, US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Curse in Reverse (Hardcover)

Curse in Reverse is the story of a witch who could find "no room at the inn". Everywhere she went, she was turned away by people who did not "like her kind". She placed a curse on the owners of each of the places that sent her away. Finally a couple who could not have children of their own took her into their home. They gave up their bed and did everything within their means to make her comfortable. To return their kindness, the witch put a "reverse curse" upon the couple. For years, the couple did not understand the reverse curse and lived in fear of what might happen to them when the curse was complete. There is a twist at the end of this story which young children will find intriguing.

DeeDee Fox, author and illustrator, The Ruby Red Slippers