Customer Reviews

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 7 yr. old daughter loves this book. It's a funny book about an old lady who is never satisfied with her house even though the fairy keeps granting her wishes for bigger and better houses. The morale is a good one--happiness comes from within, not from your possessions. My daughter soon memorized the verses that repeat throughout the book and recites them each time we read the book. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and full of bright colors.

We all know this story, though many of us may know it as "The Fisherman and his Wife".

Here's a woman who's chronically unhappy with her lot in life. And to start with, who can blame her? She lives in a vinegar bottle, for crying out loud!

But it doesn't matter WHAT you do to help her, she's just bound and determined to want more and more and more. (And she never says thank you, either. No wonder even her benefactor got fed up with her in the end!)

The pictures aren't quite as good as the cover would indicate, but they're still very pretty, and my nieces loved reciting along with me "Oh, what a pity, what a pity pity pity" and "If that's what she wants, that's what she'll get."

This is a very different version of the fairy tale told by Rumer Godden about an old woman who lives in a vinegar bottle. In this version, it is a fairy rather than a fish who offers the woman better and better gifts, until she finally asks for too much and is returned to her former condition.

While many of the plot elements are similar, this one is clearly intended for younger readers; there is some verbal repetition ("What a pity, pity, pity") as opposed to the more lyrical style in Godden. The artwork is brash and colorful, and the moral lesson is much less subtle. If Godden's version didn't exist this one might make a good library checkout, but I'm afraid it might spoil readers for Godden's most excellent story.

I love this book - the story is wonderful for many ages and the illustrations are wonderful!

This is one of my favorite books. As a pre-kindergarten teacher, I read this and the children loved it. They would repeat the lines, "And she didn't even say thank you", and when one of them was whining, the question "Do you live in a vinegar bottle?" caused the whining to instantly cease. I have even found myself using the phrase to describe other adults who are never happy! Highly recommended.