From Publishers Weekly
As the expression goes, "Everything old is new again," and two publishers are taking that adage literally for a pair of May releases. In the case of James and the Rain, British artist Reg Cartwright (Mr. Potter's Pigeon) adds whimsically rambunctious new illustrations to Karla Kuskin's droll verse, originally published in 1957 (Simon & Schuster, $15, ages 3-7 ISBN 0-671-88808-0). At Dial, meanwhile, a classic fairytale retains its artwork but receives a new telling?Diane Stanley's stylish paintings continue to grace Petrosinella: A Neapolitan Rapunzel, but now her own narrative spin replaces John Edward Taylor's 1847 translation, used in the book's 1981 publication ($14.99, 32p, ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8037-1712-1).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3?Stanley offers a Neapolitan version of Rapunzel that predates the Grimms by 200 years. Petrosinella ("parsley" in Italian) is similar in many ways to the more familiar Grimm tale, but here the women play a more active part in the plot. It is Petrosinella's pregnant mother (not her father) who steals the parsley from the ogress?the event that leads to the girl's imprisonment. Likewise, it is the girl who discovers the secret to her release (three hidden acorns) and who implements the steps that cause the destruction of the enchantress. Stanley's watercolors and colored inks are rendered in royal blues and verdant greens?a fitting backdrop for the young woman and the prince with whom she falls in love, and an effective contrast to the ugly hag. Visual parallels, however, abound; note the folds in the cliffs, the ogress's face, and the bulldog's jowls in the scene with the first acorn. Pair this story with Rafe Martin's Rough-Face Girl (Putnam, 1992) and traditional tellings of "Rapunzel" and "Cinderella" for a group discussion of fairy-tale variants. An introductory note details the sources.?Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
