Toads and Diamonds

From Publishers Weekly Selfishness gets its comeuppance and the punishment is toads in a snappy retelling of Perrault's fairy tale. The folksy, dense paintings by Lobel (previously teemed with Huck for Princess Furball) give an edgy immediacy to the fantastical story of Renee, a sweet maiden with an evil step-family. For aiding an old woman, Renee is rewarded with a magical gift: jewels and flowers will drop from her lips whenever she speaks. Her stepsister Francine goes in search of the same blessing. Lazy and shamelessly cruel to animals and people, Francine finds herself cursed with a profusion of snakes and toads instead of diamonds. The almost nauseating heaps of scaly creatures seem the perfect offspring of Francine's sour visage, and the plain, peasant-like Renee is a refreshingly ordinary heroine. When she wins the heart of a handsome prince, it's clear he loves her for her noble heart, not her appearance nor her jewels. Huck adds a little innovation of her own, too: the blessing and curse are to last only "as long as there will be a need for it," and while Francine seems doomed forever, Renee is reprieved on her wedding day from a lifetime of issuing oral projectiles. Ages 5-up. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3?This retelling of the French folktale about the kind and unkind (step)sisters is supported by impeccable scholarship and crisp, thoughtful storytelling. Huck makes the story her own through her choice of name for the resourceful heroine, Renee (meaning reborn). She also puts a limit on the young woman's unusual reward: jewels and flowers will drop from her mouth when she speaks "as long as there will be a need." In her carefully documented author's note, Huck explains that it was important for Renee to be loved for herself. The entire narrative satisfies from beginning to end. Lobel's watercolor and gouache paintings amply illuminate the story. From the first illustration, the stepmother and stepsister dominate the page, often shunting Renee to one corner. Lobel captures textures with her brush: the velvet gowns of Francine and her mother, in contrast to their doughy faces, the leaves and flowers of the trees and plants, the smooth, faceted gems that fall from the kind sister's lips, and the scaly or spotted skins of snakes and toads that fall from Francine's mouth. The striking typeface is slightly fanciful, yet clear and easy to read. This appealing collaboration from the creators of Princess Furball (Greenwillow, 1989) is a lovely addition to folktale collections.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.