Written in the original's poetic style, this charming story tells the story of a one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a paper-doll ballerina, and through a series of trials and tribulations, their love prevails.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3. Andersen's poignant story of unrequited love has been retold here for dramatic reading by Mitchell, a storyteller and performing poet. Therefore, the text is faithful to the original plot but not to its prose, a fact that may be disturbing to purists who value Andersen's literary language as well as his themes. Children who have not heard such dramatic readings may find the phrasing and line arrangement awkward. However, because the printed text is arranged as poetry, it provides a pleasing visual complement to Heale's woodcuts. The artist has maintained a heavy black line and uses bold black borders to frame each single-page illustration. The prints are hand colored in muted watercolors with shades of blue and brown predominating. The exception to this color scheme is the tin soldier. Although his size in each picture is small, in keeping with his powerlessness, he is made central to each page by his red coat, a red first introduced on the endpapers. His image thus seems to stand out as brightly as his steadfast heart. The illustrations, on ecru paper, have a lovely antique look that captures the timelessness of the tale. While the book may be more faithful to Andersen's spirit than to this words, it makes a nice addition to other illustrated retellings of the story.?Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 4^-8. Mitchell retells Andersen's classic story, sticking close to the familiar version in essentials yet differing in some details. Laid out on the page in phrases, the text looks like free verse and has ans almost staccato effect when read aloud. The result is quite readable, if not quite Andersen. Heale's woodcut illustrations feature strong black lines and subtle watercolor washes. A plain black border frames each page of text and/or art. Libraries may have the excellent Rachel Isadora, Tor Seidler/Fred Marcellino, and Naomi Lewis/P. J. Lynch picture-book versions of The Steadfast Tin Soldier already. Buy this edition for an alternative vision of the tale. Carolyn Phelan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant! Improves on the original version.,
By
This review is from: Steadfast Tin Soldier (Hardcover)
This is a really good book. It has all the characteristic's that made the original a cherished and remembered fairy tale. It is a great gift for any young child, and can be enjoyed by adults too. It maintains the feel of the original tale, but is more like a poem. The art work on each page is beautiful, and the pictures are totally devine. I would recomend buying this for a different and fully enjoyable version of the original.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully illustrated,
By La_demar (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Steadfast Tin Soldier Hb (Hardcover)
I was surprised how much my son enjoyed this story. He reads independently, but still enjoys a quality story read to him. At first I thought that the woodcut illustrations would not be appealing to his 7 year old active mind. Instead, these illustrations complement rather than compete for the attention of the reader.
This story is not your typical "disney-esque" version of the tale. Instead, this rendition of Hans Christian Anderson's classic dives deep into the heart of a child's imagination- and even into his fears. The story leads one to feel empathy as well as admiration for the main character, a tin soldier whose formed differently than his comrades. This vulnerablility resonates with many of our most basic concerns as human beings. The tin soldier is brave in the midst of separation, loss, and ridicule. However, a beautiful dancer provides inspriration for the toy as he admires her from a distance. In the end, the two are united - a bit aburptly, in my opinion, which is the reason I removed one star from my score. Still, this is a great book for parents to read to their children. It is actually a good choice for the early grades, but may be too long for a preschooler's attention. Enjoy!
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