Hans Brinker

The story of Hans Brinker is a true classic, but few still read the novel, which was written in the 1860s. Now Bruce Coville and Laurel Long are reintroducing the charming tale in this glorious picture book version. Laurel Long's paintings are breathtaking and luminous. And as he has done in his retellings of Shakespeare's plays, Bruce Coville has masterfully reshaped the sprawling story into a picture book that's fresh, engrossing, and faithful to the intent of the original. This is a tale of a family sticking together through hardship, and of wishes granted just in the nick of time. The race to win the silver skates is well-known, but the mystery of the watch and the missing riches is equally enticing. This is the best kind of fairy tale, and kids will be riveted by its drama. For the winter holidays or anytime, this is a book to cherish.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6- This handsome picture book remains true to the tone of Mary Mapes Dodge's original, 19th-century novel. Coville highlights the action of the original story, in which Hans Brinker bravely acquires medical help for his ailing father, finds his family's missing money, reunites a lost son and father, and unselfishly gives of himself during the famed ice-skating race. A note at the end provides additional information about Dodge and her book. In it, Coville addresses the melodramatic tone of the novel and encourages readers to view Hans Brinker as a positive role model. The oil illustrations are perfect for this story and setting. Paying homage to Brueghel, Long's winter landscapes and depictions of village life are subtly lit by a chilly sun, and many pictures are reminiscent of the paintings of great Dutch masters. The artist used white, gray, and blue tones to capture the sense of ice, winter, and cold. Composition suggests still-life paintings and portraits executed by Vermeer and Rembrandt. The text, which is best suited for older readers, is set on light beige pages that resemble the crackled pottery glaze of antique Delftware. This striking work is an ideal way to introduce a classic story to a new generation of readers.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI

BRUCE COVILLE has written more than ninety books for young readers, and he won the California Young Readers Medal for Jennifer Murdley’s Toad and for Armageddon Summer, cowritten with Jane Yolen. He lives in Syracuse, New York.