Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale From The Brothers Grimm (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Although the subtitle for this is "A Tale from the Brothers Grimm," it is definitely an adaptation. Hans My Hedgehog is one of my favorite fairy tales, and Coombs took quite a few liberties with it. She's put a more positive/light spin on it. I enjoyed the musical addition to an extent, and liked the pigs having a more prevalent role. But I missed the mystery element when Hans sheds his hedgehog skin each night in the original, and wasn't overly impressed with Coombs' ending. As an aside, John Nickle's illustrations were beautiful. I enjoy a good folktale, but I generally read adapted versions. The Grimms Brothers fairy tale versions are usually too dark for my taste and they seem to revolve around justice and violence. I prefer stories that are uplifting and positive. That's not to say that I don't see the need for consequences when characters behave badly, I just don't like gruesome justice. Kate Coombs has taken the original story and tweaked it enough to make it one I feel comfortable sharing with my students.Hans is a sympathetic character wanting to be loved and accepted by those around him. He has a great talent in creating music with his fiddle. I appreciated the fact that he had to work hard to develop this talent. When he is rejected he leaves home to live in the nearby enchanted forest with a herd of pigs and a beautiful, flying rooster. The kings, the one who intends on keeping his promise and the one who doesn't (see above summary) provide the moral in this fairy tale. Appropriately, the king who breaks his promise is punished (loses have his fortune) and the king, who keeps his promise receives a very talented son-in-law. I liked the fact that Hans broke his own curse through the beauty of his music. A well-told fairy tale worth adding to most fairy tale collections (makes for a great comparison with similar stories, like Beauty and the Beast).I was not really excited about the illustrations when I first read the story. But in looking at them a second time, I've decided that they suit the story quite well. I liked the way the illustration integrated musical notes into the pictures to capture the importance of Hans's music in the story. Nickle also added some nice humorous touches. For example, the bad king, his daughter, and guards all wearing pink, definitely funny. Also, the picture where Hans is wearing only underwear and the reader sees for the first time the contrast between Hans's hedgehog half and his human half. The mention of underwear is almost always a laugh getter for children. The picture of the pigs wearing crowns and pearls is also amusing. I found it interesting that we don't actually see the face of the second princess until we see Hans as a complete human. The only problem I had with the illustrations was the leafless trees in the forest. This seemed odd to me. Otherwise I enjoyed the book.
What do You think about Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale From The Brothers Grimm (2012)?
Oooh! Thank you, Chandra, for bringing this to my attention! HEDGEHOGS!!!! *squeal!* ;-)
—Brrenda
Re-telling of a Grimm fairy tale. Interesting.
—sards
The illustrations were nothing to note.
—nukulargamer
