Count Silvernose: A Story from Italy (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?A Bluebeard variant from Italy. The two younger daughters of an old washerwoman are lovely, foolish, and useless, while the oldest is homely, clever, and strong. She is also fiercely protective of her sisters, and when each is carried off by the mysterious Count Silvernose and later reported dead, Assunta resolves to discover the truth. She finds her sisters alive, tormented by imps and demons in a fiery pit. She rescues them and outwits the wicked Count, who ends up in the pit himself. Kimmel's smooth, richly detailed narrative differs significantly from the source cited, building on its basic framework and adding original interpretation and characterization. Assunta is a memorable and powerful heroine and more than a match for the shallow, smooth-talking Count. Rayyan's impressive watercolors resemble a Renaissance sketchbook. Many of the double-page spreads lead the eye from sepia-washed sketches to a central, vibrantly colored, and sometimes scary painting. The centerpiece is a magnificent spread of Assunta walloping the imps and demons. Rayyan's command of color, line, and movement is exceptional, and the illustrations and narrative balance one another beautifully. A striking offering.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. She is as "ugly as a barn door," with a wart on her nose and a glass eye, but Assunta is clever, and she dearly loves her beautiful sisters. When a mysterious stranger with a silver nose rides in looking for a servant, Assunta's foolish sister Maria goes off with him. A week later, the stranger returns for another sister, claiming Maria has died. When he comes a third time, Assunta goes with him, determined either to rescue or to avenge her sisters, as the case may be. With ingenuity and courage, Assunta finds her sisters behind the forbidden thirteenth door, puts her glass eye to good use, and gives Count Silvernose his just reward. Kimmel's storytelling combines humor and suspense, pitting good against evil and delivering a magnificently satisfying conclusion. Rayyan's watercolors ingeniously reproduce, as his note indicates, a sixteenth-century Italian sketchbook, with the beatific faces characteristic of Renaissance art in fine contrast to the lumpy homeliness and power of Assunta. Tattered edges and tiny cracks of age add character to the sketchbook pages, and lightly sketched details blend with more finished work to create an effect that is both elegant and energetic. Perfect for convincing older children that picture books aren't just for preschoolers. Susan Dove Lempke

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823412164
• ISBN-13: 978-0823412167
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,376,019 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Count Silvernose, April 13, 2001

By	paul cushing (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I thought this was an excellent picture book that would be suitable for many ages and for girls in particular. This book breaks a lot of typical sterotypes that are present in our culture today. First the heroine is not male and secondly, she is not beautiful, but ugly even by her own standards. So this makes the story very original and captures the reader's interest because of these reasons. Another important thing that this story does is that it grabs the reader's attention and imagination right away. The plot has many twists and turns to it, yet I found it interesting and easy to follow. It was also laced with humor which was important to cut the tension in places. Another reason to recommend this book is for the illustrations. The illustrator Omar Rayyan is excellent. His illustrations for this book seem to have been influenced by Lenoardo DaVinci. His drawings of imps and goblins are wonderfully horrid, but not so bad as to scare the younger reader. This is an outstanding book that children and adults will both love and it is well worth having in your collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different sort of fairytale - a different heroine, July 7, 2009

By	Natalie Norris "mainecoast mama" (Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When you are ready to have your tales with less treacle and pink powder the world of story opens up. How about an ugly heroine? How about an older sister both clever and kind? How about a tale which leaves out the prince? the witch? the dragon?

Count Silvernose is an English retelling of an Italian folktale. Our heroine, Asunta, has none of the traits we look for in a potential princess, yet we find ourselves rooting for her and her quest to rescue her silly sisters.

The colors of the illustrations are as warm as sunset and recall the parchment sketches of the old masters.

We found this book while looking for stories to complement our study of Italy. The story and the illustrations are a great springboard for a discsussion of Italian artists and architecture.

A great book for grade-school kids and older.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind picture book!, October 29, 2009

By	C. Bashara (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I came across this book looking for a picture book version of Bluebeard. They are very familiar tales, but instead of a freakish blue beard this Italian variant features a villain with a silver nose (likely a replacement for the real one lost in a duel). Assunta knows better than to trust a man with a silver nose, but her sisters are foolish and eagerly accompany him to his home as his servants. After each sister disappears it's up to Assunta to travel to the Count's home and get to the bottom of the mystery. (She doesn't have brothers to depend on like the heroine of Bluebeard). It's an eerie, but empowering story.

Simply put - I love it! I love the unique storyline which starts with a heroine described as having warts, a glass eye and a face as ugly as a barn door. She's also clever and kind, but also a little sassy. Go Assunta! Eric Kimmel has adapted this from Italo Calvino's version found in Italian Folktales. All in all it's a very pleasing and entertaining read. I also love the illustrations which are like nothing I've ever seen in a picture book before. Omar Rayyan has chosen to model them after an Italian Renaissance sketchbook - with vibrant color paintings bleeding into incomplete sketches with parchment paper edges. Stunning! Very highly recommended for lovers of fairy tales and great art!