The Little Golden Lamb

by Ellin Greene, Rosanne Litzinger (Illustrator)

In this joyfully retold Hungarian version of "The Golden Goose," a shepherd lad befriends a lamb whose fleece is the color of gold. The lad and the lamb set off on a journey, with the lamb dancing and frolicking as the boy plays his flute. Along the way they meet one person after another who tries to put an end to their merriment, but soon enough each has no choice but to join the cheerful procession and help the shepherd boy win his fortune and fulfill his destiny. Whimsically illustrated in delicious colors, this lively tale about the magic of music and the infectiousness of a light heart will have young children ready to join in the celebration.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2000

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young shepherd boy is given a golden lamb in payment for his faithful service in this picture book retelling of a Hungarian folktale, and sets out on his way home, playing his flute and gamboling along. On the way he encounters an innkeeper's daughter, an old baker-woman, and a priest, each of whom become attached to the lamb and are forced to join the dancing procession. Eventually the boy comes to the royal castle, where his entourage wins laughter from the long-silent princess, and a reward for the boy himself...

Although there is no author's note explaining the source material for this tale, the colophon of The Little Golden Lamb indicates that the story is an adaptation of "The Lamb with the Golden Fleece," from the 1886 Magyar Folk-Tales, and is a variant of the "Golden Goose" tale type. Author Ellin Greene, who retells the tale here, is an author already known to me, both from other picture book folktales, such as Billy Beg and His Bull: An Irish Tale , and for her lovely folkloric anthology, Midsummer Magic: A Garland of Stories, Charms, and Recipes . Illustrator Rosanne Litzinger's work is also known to me, through her artwork in titles like Koko Nishizuka's The Beckoning Cat and Eric A. Kimmel's The Frog Princess: A Tlingit Legend from Alaska . In any case, while I wouldn't say this was destined to become a personal favorite, I did find the story engaging, appreciating the humor of both the tale and telling, and thought that the artwork was likewise amusing—full of motion and expression. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for Hungarian tales.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy the contagious good spirits of this Hungarian version of a traditional tale about "The Golden Goose."

A shepherd boy makes friends with a lamb whose fleece is a golden color. Together, the two set out on a journey. He plays his flute, while the lamb dances.

Such adventues ensue, all the way through to a lot of wealth and also a marriage.

FIVE STARS for this sweet tale and its illustrations -- which are just whimsical enough.

[Elisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Golden Lamb was a fun book that I chose for its title. I was interested in it because the lamb was gold and I thought kids would love it too. This book I think would confuse kids a bit because of the part where all the characters get stuck together. The story was nice though, I enjoyed that the princess got saved and that the boy and her lived happily ever after.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cumulative tale where kindness is rewarded.