The Squire's Bride: A Norwegian Folk Tale

by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Marcia Sewall (Illustrator), H.L. Brækstad (Translator)

A rich old man devises a trap to force a neighbor's young daughter into marriage, but the unwilling girl has a scheme of her own

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe".

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wealthy squire decides he wishes to remarry in this Norwegian folktale, only to discover that the object of his affections—the daughter of a poor farmer in the area—is not interested in becoming his wife. Determined to make her his nonetheless, the squire involves the girl's father in his efforts, and when even parental persuasion proves ineffective, a new plan is devised. The wedding will be prepared, and the girl sent to the squire's house unawares... but things do not go quite as planned, when the girl sends a mare in her place...

Collected by those giants of Norwegian folklore, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, as part of their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"), where it was known as Herremannsbruden, this humorous tale is presented in this picture-book edition with the lovely illustrations of American artist Marcia Sewell. The story itself was enjoyable, celebrating a clever young girl who knows what she wants (and what she doesn't!), but what lifted this presentation above the ordinary was the pencil drawings from Sewell. Delicate but quite expressive, these pictures draw the reader in, every bit as engaging as more colorful folktale artwork. Recommended to young folklore lovers, or to picture-book readers looking for books with Norwegian content. For my part, I hope to track down more of Sewell's books.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I got this free for kindle.

I've read this tale before, and this is a very good adaptation. The best part, for this edition, is the illustrations, especially the expression on the faces.