Smoky Mountain Rose [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Alan Schroeder (Author) "Smack in the heart ' the Smoky Mountains, there was this old trapper livin' in a log cabin with his daughter..." (more)
Key Phrases: Liza Jane

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4. Schroeder has taken the classic Perrault fairy tale and recast it "smack in the heart o' the Smoky Mountains." He begins his retelling with the directive, "Now lis'en," and continues to relate the familiar events in lilting mountain dialect with plenty of homespun humor. Seb, the love interest here, is a "real rich feller?made his fortune in sowbellies and grits." Rose's transformation takes place through intervention of a kindhearted, articulate hog. The tale concludes, "To this day, Rose and Seb are still livin' there, and folks reckon they're 'bout the happiest twosome in all o' Tarbelly Creek," giving the story a contemporary bent. Everyone knows what's going to happen, but getting there is half the fun. Sneed's slick, stylized watercolors seem at first to be out of sync with the down-home narrative, but it quickly becomes clear that the disparate union is a successful one. The paintings are realistically rendered but slightly distorted?figures are elongated and angular, features exaggerated, and perspectives askew. People are clad in fashions of the 1940s and the lush Appalachian landscape is always in evidence. The fanciful, but decidedly quirky artwork effectively informs readers, in case they didn't already know it, that there's magic in them thar hills. An appealing all-American addition to the canon of "Cinderella" variants.?Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7, younger for reading aloud. Putting a down-home and downright enchanting Smoky Mountain spin on Perrault's classic Cinderella tale, Schroeder shows Rose, a trapper's dutiful and loving daughter, at the mercy of her father's "fearsome" second wife and two stepsisters, who are so mean "they'd steal flies from a blind spider." Schroeder's prince is Seb, a "rich feller--made his fortune in sowbellies and grits"; the palace ball is a square dance in Seb's barn; and the fairy godmother is a talking pig. The glass slippers remain: although Rose allows they're not too practical for square dancing, her dainty foot slips easily inside when Seb, searching the countryside for the shoe's owner, has her try it on. Sneed's watercolors are rich and intense; his angular lines draw readers into the action, whether the perspective is up close for Rose's feet or set back for scenes from a distance. From the opening line's enlarged, boldfaced, attention-grabbing "Now lis'en," this spirited rendition begs to be told or read out loud for sheer enjoyment and for enrichment in folklore studies. Ellen Mandel

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803717334
• ISBN-13: 978-0803717336
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,034,795 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL REWRITE AND WONDERFUL ART. KIDS LOVE IT!, January 29, 2008

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

This is one of my favorites when reading to a group of children. The story on Cinderella is rather timeless, having appeared first several hundred years ago in China. (No folks, it did not actually start with Perrault..sorry). Quite a few cultures have similar stories and there have been many version produced throughout the years. As a matter of fact, over the past twelve years are so, writing updated versions of this tale has become almost a cottage industry for the writers of children's books. This, in my opinion, is one of the best.

The setting of this particular Cinderella is the Smokey Mountain region of the Appalachian Mountains. The time is probably at around the turn of the century, although it is difficult to tell. The story follows the original tale pretty well, although there are some wonderful changes the writer and artist have made. Characters such as a "pig that knew some magic" in place of a Good Fairy, is an absolute delight.We of course know the end of the story, but that does not matter. Getting there is 90 percent of the fun. Now I will warn you, before you read this one to the kids, be sure you brush up on your Southern Appalachian dialect, as the entire charm of the story rests on this. To be quite frank, the kids will be delighted and so will you. Now before some of you go off the deep end, as one reviewer did here, and start yelling "stereotyping" and accusing the authors of "putting down" a group of people, travel through this geographical region. Better yet, talk to people who have traveled there fifty years or more ago. There is nothing wrong with the use of this dialect. It is simply the way a certain group of people spoke at a certain period in our time. I would suspect that most people who are really from this area of the country i.e. the Appalachians, are rather proud of their particular dialect, much as we are here is Southern Missouri, and that most of they are saddened to see it quickly becoming lost. It is a very deep part of our heritage. The author has done a very nice job of helping preserve this rich speaking tradition and we should be grateful for that.

As to the art work...I strongly suspect that the artist has been strongly influenced by Thomas Hart Benton. This, for me anyway, is a good thing, as Benton is one of my favorite American Artists. The Artist, Brad Sneed has captured the mood of the story perfectly with his rawboned, angular figures. I could set and look at these pictures for hours, and to be honest, would love to be able to afford an original to hang in my house. The paintings go perfectly with the story, same mood and same effortless flow. I love it.

Overall, if you want a great read for the kids, can stand looking at some great art while you are reading, then I highly recommend this work. It has been around a few years, and lets hope it stays for quite a few more.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Down Right Purdy!, February 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella (Picture Puffins) (School & Library Binding)

I thought this was a beautiful Americanized version of Perrault's "Cendrillon". Unlike another reveiwer, I was not at all offended and thought this was a charming tale. The author's interpretation of a down-home style Cinderella story was right on target. I loved the idea of the hog replacing a fairy god mother! A fun read!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Think Twice, August 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

This book is a mockery of Southern Appalachian people. Not only is the dialect incorrectly conveyed, but the pictures are demeaning as well. Mr. Schroeder, a native Californian, obviously made little (if any) attempt to get to know the group about whom he writes.