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44th out of 179 books
—
109 voters
Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale
Six brothers, each possessing remarkable strength and skill, cooperate to find the proper wife for handsome King Douda. But without the seventh brother's most unusual talent, all of their efforts would have been in vain.
Hardcover, 31 pages
Published
September 5th 1961
by The Viking Press
(first published 1937)
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Oct 16, 2008
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Readers Interested in Russian Folklore / Boris Artzybasheff Fans
Review Temporarily Removed.
First impression? Too many words and not enough illustrations (I've been reading kids books too long). But the story gets going and the stylized illustrations using red, black, gold and green on white - very evocative and expressive, a little reminiscent of royalty in a deck of playing cards - pull their weight. Each of the seven peasant brothers has a skill or power - similar to The Five Chinese Brothers - that hint at how the story will and does unfold. Favorite illustrations are the king and...more
A rather wordy telling of a Russian folktale. The illustrations are what really shine in this book. They are very intricately detailed and a pleasure to look at. My favorites are of the Simeons' fast sailing ship as well as the Princess Helena as a bird in flight. The story itself is a bit long winded, but fun nonetheless. However, throughout the story, I was waiting (or hoping) for a clever twist ending, wherein the seven brothers would, in some fashion, stick it to the vain king. But, I was di...more
I know this book won a 1938 Caldecott Honor, and maybe they hadn't quite worked out the kinks yet on the selection process since it was the first year, but this book should've won the award. It is based off a Russian folktale that the author/illustrator retold and illustrated himself in this brilliant line drawing style accented in red, green, gold and black. The drawings are very detailed and remind me filigree or manuscript illustrations, although another reviewer has compared them to Faberge...more
Caldecott Honor 1938
Favorite illustration: p. 13 The illustration of the second Simeon in the tower scouting out the island that is home to the King's desired princess.
Favorite line: p. 16 "Here, here you wise men! Your heads are big, your beards are long but all your brains aren't worth a song."
Kid-appeal: My seven year-old groaned when she saw the wordiness of this book. It is really more like a short story with illustrations, as indeed it's very long. Older children, middle grades and up will...more
Favorite illustration: p. 13 The illustration of the second Simeon in the tower scouting out the island that is home to the King's desired princess.
Favorite line: p. 16 "Here, here you wise men! Your heads are big, your beards are long but all your brains aren't worth a song."
Kid-appeal: My seven year-old groaned when she saw the wordiness of this book. It is really more like a short story with illustrations, as indeed it's very long. Older children, middle grades and up will...more
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1938 Caldecott Honor
This one really cracked me up. The King is sad "because he could not find a worthy maiden for a bride, a princess who would be as good-looking as himself." Too too much for me not to giggle.
I found a funny saying too, "in less time than it takes to braid the hair on a bald man's head."
Somehow, though many things in the story were simply outrageous, it struck me as humorous and so it worked for me.
This one really cracked me up. The King is sad "because he could not find a worthy maiden for a bride, a princess who would be as good-looking as himself." Too too much for me not to giggle.
I found a funny saying too, "in less time than it takes to braid the hair on a bald man's head."
Somehow, though many things in the story were simply outrageous, it struck me as humorous and so it worked for me.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Well, I have to say that this surely deserved the Caledcott Honor it received in 1938 because the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. However, the story itself is rather boring and long-winded. I'm not sure children would enjoy it.
Caldecott Honor 1938 - Interesting illustrations - more for the intricacy that was probably unique for the time, but the story annoyed me. If they talked one more time about being the most beautiful, etc. I might have thrown the book.
Intricate 4 color line drawings - I especially liked the drawing of the tower which had, as its skeleton, a simple spiral.
This is an old folktale that centers around the idea that a king is so good-looking he can't find a bride who matches him in beauty. Yep. It's all about appearances. He's good, kind, and rich, too, but beauty is what's most important to him in a bride. Of course, when he finds one who IS beautiful enough, she, though stolen from her father and homeland, falls in love with hi...more
This is an old folktale that centers around the idea that a king is so good-looking he can't find a bride who matches him in beauty. Yep. It's all about appearances. He's good, kind, and rich, too, but beauty is what's most important to him in a bride. Of course, when he finds one who IS beautiful enough, she, though stolen from her father and homeland, falls in love with hi...more
I must admit that the pictures were gorgeous in this book, but the story didn't do much for me. It was very long and I felt a bit bored with it.
1938 Caldecott honor
Lovely intricate illustrations but the story today doesn't hold my attention quite as it must once have
Lovely intricate illustrations but the story today doesn't hold my attention quite as it must once have
Video Review here: http://liblaura5.blogspot.com/2012/01...
Favorite illustration: page 15
Read for #nerdcott. Reviewed in Caldecott Challenge Post #43: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
One of my all-time favorite Caldecott Honor books. The artwork is very unique, and I love the intricacy of the line drawings.
May 03, 2013
Tina
marked it as to-read
May 01, 2013
Amanda
marked it as to-read
Apr 10, 2013
Igraine
marked it as bilderbuecher
Jan 20, 2013
Julie Valencia
added it
Jan 02, 2013
Christine
marked it as to-read
Dec 08, 2012
Casey
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