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The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm
A dejected soldier makes a pact with the devil in this haunting, ultimately hopeful fairy tale, masterfully retold and vividly illustrated.
Man or bear? When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, the devil,...more
Man or bear? When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, the devil,...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 9th 2007
by Candlewick Press
(first published October 30th 2006)
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The devil comes to a poor soldier with an offer he can't refuse. If the man wears the skin of a bear for seven years without washing, bathing, or praying to God, then he will be rich beyond his wildest dreams. Better still, during that time he will have all the money he desires. The man accepts the deal, but soon finds it hard to handle. His body disgusts him and society abhors him (though not, of course, his money). Yet when the man starts giving his money away to the poor, he finds that their...more
This book is so psychologically, so visually and symbolically rich that it's stunning. What really set this Brothers Grimm tale apart for me was the vague and slightly disturbing artwork. Almost all painted in shades of brown and black, the monochromatism illustrates the message perfectly: Things don't always go well. Sometimes we bargain with the devil and realize later we've made stupid mistakes. Sometimes we feel like all hope is lost. The beautiful theme running through this story is that no...more
I had a conversation with some parents just last week about how the original Brothers Grimm stories were not like the Disney versions; they were much more graphic. Details about one of Cinderella's sisters cutting off her toes, and the other, her heel, to make the glass slipper fit, and the blood dripping from the slipper as each rode along with the prince grossed them out, to say the least.
Here's another example of a BG story that might be classified as "not for the faint of heart". Graphic de...more
Here's another example of a BG story that might be classified as "not for the faint of heart". Graphic de...more
I discovered Laura Amy Schlitz last year (Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!) and immediately read this and A Drowned Maiden's Hair. Schlitz has a great gift for probing the soul behind a story, and I recommend all of her books wholeheartedly.
1 like · like · see review
I'm absolutely in love with this new-to-me Beauty and the Beast variation and this particular presentation of it. First off: BEARS. Second: this is a picture book for the most discerning eye. Grafe's art is dark, sinister, and mysterious in all the right ways, but he manages to capture the light in a girl's face or the green of a coat to perfectly drive the story. Third: Schlitz's retelling is capable and starts off like gangbusters: "They say that when a man gives up hope, the devil walks at hi...more
This is quite dark, and very beautiful. Lucky are the children who will read and hear it.
Genre: Traditional
Copyright: 2007
An unusual picture book, and not a typical choice for the classroom. This story is fairly dark, featuring a man and his deal with the devil to wear a bearskin suite for seven years in exchange for wealth. Their are many morals embedded within the story, leaving the reader with much to discuss at the close of the tale.
Copyright: 2007
An unusual picture book, and not a typical choice for the classroom. This story is fairly dark, featuring a man and his deal with the devil to wear a bearskin suite for seven years in exchange for wealth. Their are many morals embedded within the story, leaving the reader with much to discuss at the close of the tale.
A Beauty and the Beast variation adapted from the Grimm Brothers' version of the tale, The Bearskinner recounts a desperate soldier's game with the devil.
Though it's definitely aimed at an older audience of picture-book readers, The Bearskinner is beautifully written and even more beautifully illustrated. It has many philosophical underpinnings and is likely to be an enjoyable challenge to upper-elementary school readers that enjoy fairy tales.
Though it's definitely aimed at an older audience of picture-book readers, The Bearskinner is beautifully written and even more beautifully illustrated. It has many philosophical underpinnings and is likely to be an enjoyable challenge to upper-elementary school readers that enjoy fairy tales.
I really liked this tale. Now I understand why Tender Morsels is a retelling. It all makes sense now!
The Illustrations are really gorgeous in this story. The text is probably entirely too long for a read aloud especially for beginner or intermediate language learners. Advanced ELLs may handle it well though.
The Illustrations are really gorgeous in this story. The text is probably entirely too long for a read aloud especially for beginner or intermediate language learners. Advanced ELLs may handle it well though.
Jun 06, 2012
Sharon
added it
The Grimm fairy tale retold cautiously but with ominous, deeply moving illustrations. The illustrations capture the dark and emotive story of the original, while the text waters it down a bit and softens the ending.
I enjoyed this picture book and really liked the story. However, I probably wouldn't read it to really young children. There are pretty serious themes such as selling your soul to the devil.
Great wonderfull farytail. Teaches you a wonderful moral, riches are not everything, true love is doesn't matter you have a rotting bear skin on top of you.
I discovered this while reading about Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (also by L.A. Schlitz). Oh, it sounds very good.
Bearskinner is a nice retelling of the various stories that involve men making deals with the devil, agreeing not to bathe for 7 years in exchange for untold wealth and putting their souls on the line for the deal. The illustrations are lovely and the story is rather dark and full of despair -which is probably appropriate given the subject. I thought the addition of the term "you may not pray to God" was interesting, as well as the Bearskinner's method for working around it.
The story - like mos...more
The story - like mos...more
This story is frightening and dark. The Devil is rally evil. It is a great fairy tale for the older kids.
Sep 25, 2009
Tara Hixon
added it
Elementary. Beautiful retelling of a classic tale. Creepy and strange, but in a good way :-)
Love this rendition and love the dark/somber illustration. One of my favorites.
This lite version of the Grimm story is so gorgeously illustrated!
Excellent re-telling of Grimm Brothers tale. Love the illustrations.
slightly disturbing illustrations but loved it - very thrilling
I thought I had never read this story in Grimms, but I now see that I had. Laura Amy Schlitz's rendition is that of a true storyteller. She keeps the story but...rather than adding to the story, she sees what is behind the story and makes it manifest. The only true change - and it doesn't change the message of the story - is that the daughter with the true and compaasionate sight is the middle daughter. Hurrah for the middle child (for a change.) This would make a great story forthe slightly old...more
A good retelling with beautiful artwork.
I reserved this book after noticing the Goodreads review by Elizabeth, and I second everything written there. Gorgeous, moody, creepy brown-tone illustrations, and a hard-to-forget tale of a deal with the devil. Would be great for sharing with older kids as a readaloud or storytelling; with the religious angle (the devil forbids the man to pray to god), you'd want to know your audience. Beautiful book.
Aug 18, 2008
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-fairy-folktales,
read-childrens-books
A grim Grimm fairy tale, beautifully told, about a soldier who makes a bargain with the devil and wins, with shades of "Beauty and the Beast" thrown in. Laura Amy Schlitz is a fantastic storyteller. Highly recommended for older (upper elementary) children.
The text flows beautifully and the illustrations are evocative. I love the middle daughter's face and eyes! Someone did point out, though, that Bearskinner, although in the text gets more beast-like, the illustrations do not quite progress in that direction -- he still looked like a man with a bearskin coat even when the 7 years were almost over, facing the gambler's daughters.
The text is polished and excellent for reading aloud. The illustrations are dark with rare flashes of color and indistinct faces, but they set the mood perfectly. However, there is no source note and several reviewers mention that Schlitz has changed the ending slightly so a source note should have been included.
I can't imagine better illustrations to go with this story - and what a story it is. It's definately one of those gather-round-the-campfire-snuggle-close-and-try-not-to-imagine-what-those-shadows-behind-the-tree-are stories. I'll bet it would be a wonderful read-aloud for an older classroom.
A lovely retelling, haunting illustrations - overall a fabulous addition to the "nice and creepy Grimm stories" shelf. I loved the use of shadows in the illustrations. It's a slight story, but packs a good punch for the spareness of the telling. Well worth taking a look at.
May 20, 2008
Nancy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone over the 4th grade level...good story!
Recommended to Nancy by:
Library Journal
James and I just finished reading this story and he loved it. He did advise that children under the fifth grade might not want to read it because it's a bit scary. As we read I remembered reading this to my oldest son and he had similar comments. But both boys loved it.
When I first heard about this story (from someone on Goodreads, of course), I thought it was going to be a novel. After my initial disappointment, I devoured it during a quiet moment. Beautifully narrated and illustrated, The Bearskinner is a great book.
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Laura Amy Schlitz has spent most of her life as a librarian and professional storyteller. She is currently a librarian at the Park School in Baltimore, where she has worked since 1991. She is a winner of the 2008 John Newbery award for her book Good Masters, Sweet Ladies!
Ms. Schlitz lives in the Loch Hill section of Baltimore County. She is single with no children.
She has also been a playwright,...more
More about Laura Amy Schlitz...
Ms. Schlitz lives in the Loch Hill section of Baltimore County. She is single with no children.
She has also been a playwright,...more
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Nov 24, 2007 07:16am
Nov 24, 2007 02:38pm