From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4 - An original tale combining elements from several Norwegian folktales including "The White Bear King," "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," and "The Black Bull of Norraway." A princess dreams of a beautiful golden crown and eventually encounters a bear in the frozen forest that possesses it. She passes a test and returns with him to an exquisite castle. Every night he enters her chamber quietly and sleeps on the floor next to her bed. The Princess's mother convinces her to look at him even though the bear had warned, "Do not listen to your mother's advice, for if you do, bad luck will befall us both." Indeed, the bear/prince now tells her that he must flee to the terrible Troll Queen and marry her. What follows is the Princess's long journey to be reunited with him. She meets three women along the way who give her items that help her outwit the Troll Queen. The deeply saturated acrylic illustrations magnify the adventure, offering varied perspectives and highlighting the magic of the northern landscape. This story begs to be told aloud and is a fresh addition to most library shelves.
- Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 1-3. The king's youngest daughter goes to stay in the castle of a white bear. She is content there until her mother makes her suspicious and encourages her to light a candle to look upon her host at night. In doing so, she condemns the prince, who was turned into a bear by enchantment, to marry the Troll Queen who cast the spell. Only through great courage, effort, cunning, and goodness can the princess change his fate. Young girls enamored of princess tales and their elders seeking strong female role models can agree that this powerful, romantic story has it all. Longer than in most picture books, the text combines elements of three traditional folktales: "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," "The Black Bear of Norraway," and "The White Bear King." Created with acrylic paints, pencils, and oil pastels, the molded artwork features many stately, luminous scenes in which the princess's red robes and yellow hair glow against the cool ice blues of the northern landscapes. Well suited to reading aloud.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved