The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Olofsson, Helena

The Little Jester

32 pp. | Farrar/R&S | April, 2002 | Trade ISBN 91-29-65499-8 $$16.00

(4) K-3 Translated by Kjersti Board. One cold, rainy night, a jester boy begs for food at a French monastery with a painting of the Weeping Madonna. Over the abbot's misgivings, the monks feed the jester, whose grateful performance on the high altar of the church causes the Madonna to smile. Although the plot is predictable, the story is elegantly told, and the bright illustrations interestingly blend the style of manuscript illumination with cartoons.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian