From Publishers Weekly
The late Craddock's sophisticated reworking of the Sleeping Beauty story is nothing short of astonishing, both in the vitality of its prose and its haunting imagery. The story begins in turn-of-the-century Berlin, where Knabe Rosen's birth is being celebrated. Gore's (Lucy Dove) ethereal artwork shows two rose-hued insets of the joyous parents and newborn; peeking through at the outer edges, however, are darkened street scenes seemingly spun from spiderwebs. Prose and pictures in tandem convey the tension between life within the home and life without. Major Krieg (the German word for war), who is left out of the party, nonetheless turns up to play the part of the malevolent fairy and bestow a curse on the child: on his 16th birthday the sound of drums will entice Knabe into the army, never to return. In the only pair of full-bleed paintings, Gore brilliantly contrasts first the loving father and mother gently cradling the baby, all of his relatives encircling him like a band of angels; then just a few pages later Major Krieg's black gloved fingers hold the baby aloft, the baby's head cropped at the top of the page and the background a deep blood red. Fortunately, Tante Taube (the German word for dove) mitigates this dire prediction with her blessing: instead of marching off to war, when Knabe hears the drums he will fall asleep "until PEACE comes to Berlin." As the household slumbers, swept up in the spell, Gore's moody, ethereal acrylics are scattered across the pages like a series of half-remembered snapshots, their surfaces hazy, their images indistinct. He conjures the darkly ominous talismans of war: barbed wire and guard dogs; the steel-spiked helmets of Kaiser Wilhelm's troops; the swastika and jackboots of Hitler's army. The house itself becomes entombed in the Berlin Wall. Finally, when peace comes, the wall comes down and the family awakens to celebrate their son's 16th birthday. Part modern-day fairy tale, part Brothers Grimm, part allegory, this is an ambitious, eerie and visually stunning work for all ages. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2 Up A modern allegory based on "Sleeping Beauty." At a party to celebrate the birth of a baby boy to Herr and Frau Rosen, everyone bestows benevolent blessings. However, the uninvited and evil Major Krieg curses him by insisting that, on his 16th birthday, Knabe Rosen will hear drums and follow them to war. Luckily, Tante Taube has saved her wish and modifies the curse; instead, the boy will fall into a long sleep until peace returns to Berlin. Despite the family's best efforts to protect Knabe, all comes to pass as predicted. The entire household slumbers; the small house falls into ruin and is entombed in the wall that eventually divides the city. Finally, the wall comes down, peace arrives, and the family awakes for the long-awaited birthday celebration. The language in this lengthy picture book is an odd but appealing mix of fairy-tale lyricism with the cadence and gusto of Eastern-European dialogue. Sentences are short and repetition is used to good effect but the forms of address may require some translation. Gore's atmospheric and dreamlike artwork is similar to his work in Lucy Dove (DK Ink, 1998). The stippled acrylics are presented as snapshots or are layered over one another some glowing, some brooding. On one level, this is the saga of Berlin in the 20th century, but those who might appreciate the parallel will not be drawn to the framing story and, without the necessary historical background, younger listeners may be frightened by the warlike images. A provocative presentation for a very limited audience. Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
