The Elves and the Shoemaker (Classic Fairy Tale Collection)
Grade 1–4—This strikingly illustrated and well-written retelling of the tale begins, "A long, long time ago, when shoes were still made by shoemakers and not by machines in factories, a shoemaker and his wife found themselves in very hard times." The shoemaker, whose deeply wrinkled face exudes tiredness and despair, retires for the night, leaving the pieces for one pair of shoes. He awakens the next day to find a "marvelous" pair of shoes, and each day, the number of finished shoes increases. One night the grateful couple watches the elves tiptoe out "like two whispers in the wind" and determine to reward them. Arresting paintings reveal multiple details: the shoemaker has a long pipe in his mouth, shoes and balloons float around in the air, the first customer dressed in an all-white suit, boots, and top hat arrives at the shop in a fancy jalopy with white walled wheels. The well-known Moscow artist plays with perspective and shadows to add layers of interest to the art. Some children may enjoy perusing these details; others may be put off by their slightly eerie look. This book deserves a place in larger folklore collections.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.