- Library Binding
- Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books (J) (December 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0152317015
- ISBN-13: 978-0152317010
- Product Dimensions: 36.3 x 19.3 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,282,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Yolen reaches new heights in this flawless tale. Patterned after the story of Job, it concerns one Griselle, a lace maker in Paris of long ago. Reports of her goodness so enrage the gargoyles on a nearby cathedral that they place a wager one Christmas Eve with their holy counterparts, the stone angels. Their bet? To test Griselle's goodness by thrusting upon her "an ugly and unlovable child." The angels consent, and the gargoyles send a hideous, squalling imp to the woman's doorstep. Though the foundling tests her sorely indeed, Griselle proves faithful, and in a particularly poignant ending, her place in heaven and that of her homely but much loved son are assured. The prose is lush but exquisitely restrained, and moves to the measured cadences of another, more gracious era. The story creates new opportunities for Christiana's (White Nineteens) brooding, mysterious watercolor art. Part impressionist, part Arthur Rackham, wholly original, rendered largely in shades of gray but with an occasional touch of color, the illustrations reveal a world where crouching gargoyles hint of dark purposes and the shadowed and oblique are infinitely more intriguing than the overt. In a word, heavenly. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. The angels and gargoyles carved on an old cathedral are the characters in an original fairy tale about an ugly changeling. Set at Christmas, this is also a kind of Nativity story. Griselle is so beautiful and good that she gives away half her food to the cats and birds. The grumbling gargoyles can't stand her, and they have a wager with the angels to test Griselle's goodness by sending her an ugly and unlovable child. He arrives at her door on Christmas. She takes him in and loves him. Nothing will make her abandon him, not even the man she loves, not even her own safety. She is the child's savior, and her love transforms him. The book design is handsome, with some hand lettering and with watercolor paintings of depth and mystery that evoke the sculptured figures in stone shades of gray and brown. Some pictures are like panels; some show the gargoyles bursting out like evil happenings and ugly feelings. One realistic view of the child clutching the battered mother is a heartbreaking madonna image. Like Winter's illustrated version of Lagerlof's The Changeling (1991), this may appeal more to adults than young children, but it will touch anyone who imagines a story about those strange figures carved in stone. Hazel Rochman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glorious!, Jan 16 1999
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Good Griselle (Library Binding)
I would give this beautiful book 20 stars if I could. It is truly one of the most moving works --for children OR adults-- that I have ever read. It centers around an exceptionally kind woman, a widow, who lives near Notre Dame cathedral. The angels and gargoyles who decorate the cathedral test her goodness by sending a hideously ugly and disobedient child to her doorstep. The angels bet that she will love him no matter what, the gargoyles wager that she will not. Good Griselle is most sorely tested, especially when a gargoyle disguised as her late husband forces her to choose between him and the child she has grown to cherish. But virtue triumphs in the magnificent conclusion. This is a haunting, unforgettable tale of unconditional love and unselfishness that will leave tears in your eyes.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly Illustrated, Jan 9 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Good Griselle (Library Binding)
Beautiful illustrations and a well told story make for a delightful read.
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