This tale from Grimm -- far less familiar than many of the others -- has been given a brisk retelling by Natalie Babbitt and witty, spectacular, sumptuous pictures by Fred Marcellino. The story tells all about young Marco, who leads a charmed life if anyone ever did, starting off as nobody special and ending up king. Not that it's an easy path, the most dangerous part being an errand that takes him down into Hell. But thanks to the Devil's grandmother, as good an old girl as grandmothers everywhere, it all comes right in the end.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this abbreviated version of the Grimms' "The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs," a crown-shaped birthmark heralds a boy's bright future. Based on this omen, a fortuneteller predicts that Marco will marry a princess, and this comes to pass in short order: "So the two were married, with plenty of joy and noise, and that should have been the end of it. But it wasn't." The youth still must placate his evil father-in-law, the king, who demands three golden hairs from the head of the Devil. Marco ventures forth to Hell, where he meets the Devil's impish grandmother, who agrees to yank the three hairs. ("Ouch!" is the Devil's exclamation as she does the deed.) Thus, he keeps the princess, and then exacts revenge on the king. Babbitt (Bub) rewrites the classic story in a casual voice infused with wry wit, paring it down to its essentials (e.g., leaving out the magical golden apples and wine-flowing fountain), while Marcellino (The Story of Little Babaji) paints the characters in picturesque Renaissance-era garb. He constructs scenes of architectural grandeur: readers become spectators at the wedding, looking up at the starry ceiling, and stand alongside the newly married prince at the steps of Hell, which appears as a desolate castle with firelit bricks and oversize wooden furniture. The Devil himself is a slim, none-too-threatening figure in a red unitard decorated with ruffles at the wrist. The inventive layout, based on a rectangular grid, features creatively cropped and overlapping color images and blocky text. Although things come together a bit too easily in this Grimm tale, readers will likely lap up Babbitt's intelligent retelling, mixed with a dash of sly humor and dressed in Marcellino's signature finery. All ages.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-Ouch!, retold by Natalie Babbitt (HarperCollins, 1998), is the tale of a young man born with the destiny to marry a princess. The king does all he can to keep this "nobody" from becoming his son-in-law. He tries several times to end the boy's life, and finally gives Marco the challenge of collecting three golden hairs from the devil's head. Marco journeys to Hell where the devil's grandmother helps him to achieve his end, and gives him information that eventually leads to the king getting exactly what he deserves. Martin Jarvis reads the story with different voices for each character as Fred Marcellino's expressive illustrations are scanned iconographically. Occasional sound effects and light background music enhance the production. Both the video and audiotape are high quality. This is a nicely-done version of a lesser-known Grimm's fairytale.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUCH!! - an incredibly fun and beautiful book!,
By Lisa (Nokomis, FL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ouch! (Hardcover)
I picked this book up for my weekly volunteer read-to to a second grade class. The children loved it! They thought the story very unique ...the idea of the trip to the devil's house and his grandma was just silly and a hoot. The hero is confident and surprisingly smart. The pictures are wonderful. And of course, good triumphs over the wicked king in the end. The next week, when I returned, I had 2 students ask me for the name of the story as they'd tried to relate the story to their parents. I think it'd be a great and very interesting gift.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
magnificently devilish book!,
By amanda (Salt Lake City, Ut) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ouch! (Hardcover)
I just happened to pick up this book at my local library, and my was it refreshing! This book was smartly done. IT is humorous, witty, and keeps you reading until the very end. Yes it is a children's book, but I sure enjoyed it and so did my kids. Natalie Babbitt certainly gives children alot of credit where many children's authors don't. Read this book!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun,
This review is from: Ouch! (Hardcover)
This is a cute retelling of one of Grimm's tales. It is about a boy born with a birth mark that foretells he will be a king.
The current king tries to get rid of him three times. The final is the quest to get three of the devil's golden hairs. He is helped by the ferryman, and the devil's own Grandmother, who not only protects him, but gets him the hairs and a treasure chest. He then tricks the King into getting trapped as the ferryman. All the others live happily every after. A fantastic novelette. (First written as Journal Reading Notes in 1999.)
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First Sentence:
There was a baby boy born once with a birthmark shaped like a crown. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
There was a baby boy born once with a birthmark shaped like a crown. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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