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Many Furs
Taking only her three special gowns and three special treasures, a princess disguises herself in a clock of many different furs and runs away from home.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2025
This rating is for the edition adapted and illustrated by Jacquelyn Ilya Sage.
February 26, 2020
A recent discussion of the French fairy-tale Donkeyskin (Peau d'Âne), originally recorded by Perrault, reminded me of Allerleirauh (All-Kinds-of-Fur), a similar tale from the Brothers Grimm. Translated here as Many Furs, it is the disturbing story of a king who, having promised his dying wife that he will find her equal, when he comes to remarry, fixes upon his daughter as a bride. She, horrified at the prospect, tries to fend him off by asking for fantastic articles of clothing she believes will be impossible to obtain: a dress as golden as the sun, one as silver as the moon, and one as shining as the stars. Finally, she requests a cloak made of a thousand different kinds of fur. When all of these demands are met, the princess flees in desperation, eventually becoming a scullery maid in the kitchen of another royal family...
This tale of (threatened) father-daughter incest is not as uncommon as one might imagine, with the French and German variants just two of many. Those interested in pursuing the tale-type might like to peruse the SurLaLune page devoted to the topic. For my part, I have always found it rather distressing, and with the exception of Robin McKinley's excellent novel Deerskin , this picture-book by Jacqueline Ilya Sage is the only retelling I own.
Visually, Many Furs is a little too florid in style to appeal to me, with cute animal scenes, floral motifs, and human figures that appear rather flushed and bloated-looking. As far as I can tell, this is the only book Jacqueline Ilya Sage ever worked on - perhaps if that were not the case, her style would have developed a bit. Still, I appreciate this as one of the few picture-book adaptations of Allerleirauh, even if the art leaves a little to be desired.
This tale of (threatened) father-daughter incest is not as uncommon as one might imagine, with the French and German variants just two of many. Those interested in pursuing the tale-type might like to peruse the SurLaLune page devoted to the topic. For my part, I have always found it rather distressing, and with the exception of Robin McKinley's excellent novel Deerskin , this picture-book by Jacqueline Ilya Sage is the only retelling I own.
Visually, Many Furs is a little too florid in style to appeal to me, with cute animal scenes, floral motifs, and human figures that appear rather flushed and bloated-looking. As far as I can tell, this is the only book Jacqueline Ilya Sage ever worked on - perhaps if that were not the case, her style would have developed a bit. Still, I appreciate this as one of the few picture-book adaptations of Allerleirauh, even if the art leaves a little to be desired.
January 8, 2019
This is one of my favorite childhood books. The story is disturbingly wonderful, and the pictures are amazing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews