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32 pp.
| Holiday
| September, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-1730-8$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Daniel San Souci
&
Justin San Souci.
Some fur traders accept a mysterious stranger's offer to be magically transported home for Christmas Eve...provided they don't speak until they arrive. They break the promise but outwit the stranger for a happy ending in this variant of a Canadian tale. The conflict is too-easily resolved, but the chilly illustrations and smattering of French provide a strong sense of place. Glos.
24 pp.
| Tundra
| October, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-88776-636-6$15.95
(3)
K-3
Translated by Sheila Fischman.
Illustrated by
Sheldon Cohen.
In this well-told, colloquial version of a classic French-Canadian folktale, eleven-year-old Baptiste, working in a logging camp, accompanies the other homesick lumberjacks as they paddle back to their Quebec village in a flying canoe for New Year's Eve. The digitally colored drawings' naive style matches the story's tone. A lengthy text and small typesize make this more useful with older children.
(3)
K-3
One by one, Simon loses his family's treasures to a princess who is "beautiful, mean, and greedy." However, with the help of some magical fruit, he strikes a blow to her vanity and is able to bargain for the return of the stolen property. The illustrations give the characters elaborate costumes and exaggerated features; they're a fitting accompaniment for this witty adaptation of a story, although no sources are given, from Quebec.