The Girl Who Wore Too Much (English and Thai Edition)
PreSchool-Grade 3AAn experienced storyteller has set an old cautionary tale from Thailand in modern dress. Aree's parents shower their daughter with brilliant silk dresses and lovely jewels. A dance held in a nearby village offers Aree a chance to display her sumptuous wardrobe. Determined to be the most beautiful girl there, she cannot decide upon one dress or one jewel, so she ends up wearing all of them. She is so weighed down with layers of finery that she cannot keep up with her friends as they walk over the hill to the dance. When they suggest that she remove some garments, she accuses them of jealousy. In a version collected in Thailand by Kermit Krueger and retold in his collection The Serpent Prince (World, 1969; o.p.), the vain, foolish girl dies of exhaustion. MacDonald's version allows her to learn her lesson and live to practice voluntary simplicity. The story is told in rhythmic, cadenced sentences, ideal for reading aloud. The illustrations substitute modern rural Thailand for the archaic setting of the original tale and depict the characters as somewhat stylized figures dressed in brightly colored Thai silks. An author's note acknowledges Krueger's retelling, puts the tale in cultural context, and suggests strategies for telling it. The text is printed in Thai at the bottom of each page. Art and narrative create an appealing blend of ancient and contemporary wisdom.AMargaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.