The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm [Hardcover]

Jacob Grimm (Author), Wilhelm K. Grimm (Author), Maurice Sendak (Illustrator), Lore Segal (Translator), Randall Jarrell (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

A one-volume hardcover edition for the 30th anniversary

Originally published as a two-volume set thirty years ago, The Juniper Tree is distinguished first by the selection of stories. Lore Segal and Maurice Sendak have jointly culled 27 from
the 210 in the complete collection, and their contents page presents a fascinating critical statement. The translations are another distinguishing quality of the Segal/Sendak edition. Both translators have been painstakingly faithful to the German texts; they have not cut, “retold,” or bowdlerized. In addition, Segal and Jarrell bring to their renderings of Grimm the grace and precision that are characteristic of their own original prose. This must-have edition for every home library is jacketed and cloth-bound and has a bookmark ribbon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A work of art, a work of love, a collector’s item." – ChicagoTribune Book World

"Maurice Sendak has drawn what must be some of his finest pictures for this book . . . The Juniper Tree returns Grimm to the whole family." – The Boston Globe

"[Segal and Sendak] favor the odd, the pungent, the ambiguous; their Grimm has a salty, unfamiliar taste . . . Segal’s translations achieve the spoken quality the Grimms aimed for . . . Sendak’s drawings are monumental, hypnotic . . . I only wish the Segal-Sendak Grimm had existed when I was young."– Walter Clemons, Newsweek

"[An] uncommon collection of 27 folktales – among them the strangest, most grotesque, mysterious and haunting in Grimm. The pictures are superb, and come from the darker, stranger side of [Sendak’s] genius." – The New York Times Book Review

"The abiding value of the Segal/Sendak collection is that it can be read over and over, and each time one will discover a sparkling mot juste that Mrs. Segal has implanted in the text, and each time the study of Mr. Sendak’s drawings will show forth a felicity not seen before. These two geniuses soar and dance together in the empyrean." – The New Yorker

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); Revised edition (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374339716
• ISBN-13: 978-0374339715
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beloved Childhood Book, December 31, 2000

By 

Sherry Meneley (CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

As a child I found this book at a garage sale. It instantly became one of my most treasured books - that was over 20 years ago. It has some of the most interesting Fairy Tales, many have a slightly "different twist" than your typical tales (some outright silly while others dark and bit disturbing). Most of the stories are 3 to 5 pages long and are very quick reading, and the sketched illustrations are beautifully detailed. Excellent stories for children and adults alike. With my current copy falling apart - I was happy to see the book has been re-issued!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost in translation no longer, June 25, 2001

By 

mehndiartist "mehndiartist" (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

After hearing Sendak speak of the tragic fate that has befallen the fairy tale, I immediately went online in search of the Juniper Tree collection, a seventies-era translation of Grimm's fairy tales that professed to be true to the originals.

According to Sendak, modern adaptations of fairy tales lack the vigor and violence of the originals, which themselves were adaptation of the spoken-word. Call it Disney-fication, but new translations seemed to candy-coat old tales into generic rubbish. Sendak said that he took on this commission in order to rejuvenate the fairy-tale genre. And I can only find success in the venture. The new translation adds spice to fairy tales that I have heard countless times, in addition to adding many more obscure fairy tales to a reader's collection. And Sendak's beautiful black and white illustrations certainly don't hurt the package. His characteristic drawings add life and excitement to the written word.

Definitely get this copy instead of any cheesy new version of a fairy tale. It's not as violent/different from normal fairy tale editions as I expected, but the change is significant enought to have warranted this translation. And sure, there isn't a Sendak illustration on every page, but kids need something to look forward to in a book, don't they?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories and Great Pictures, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

My mom & step dad bought me this while on their honeymoon in Carmel in 1978 (I was 8 at the time). I loved it so much that it must be handled with care these days. Grimms fairy tales aren't necessarily for everyone. Several are very dark, but I truly enjoyed them. And who can beat Maurice Sendak as an illustrator???