The Girl Who Spun Gold [Hardcover]

A lovely peasant girl named Quashiba is spinning thread and laughing with her mama one day when young Big King comes riding through the trees, wondering what all the noise is about. Quashiba's quick-thinking, fast-talking mama tells a terrible fib. "Oh, great Big King, my daughter is spinning a whole field of finest golden thread to make cloth for his Highest. And we are so happy, we are rejoicing about it, don't cha know." And before Quashiba knows what's happening, Big King decides that he must have her as his queen so that she may spin him rooms full of golden thread. In despair, Quashiba agrees to a near-impossible bargain with a demonic, pointy-toothed little imp who shows up, promising to help her make the golden things.

The universal "Lit'mahn" folktale has many variants around the world, including the best-known German version, Rumpelstiltskin. In this West Indian version, the award-winning team of Virginia Hamilton and Leo and Diane Dillon, who, among them, have received the National Book Award, the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honors, the Coretta Scott King Award, two Caldecott Medals, and many others, has created a spectacularly beautiful and delightful rendering of the favorite tale. Hamilton translates the language into a lilting colloquial style, perfect for reading aloud, while the Dillons use metallic paint and gold leaf to produce stunning, frame-worthy paintings replete with patterns, textures, and lavish colors. In a charming, strong-woman twist, the story concludes with Quashiba demanding (and her husband giving) an apology for his greedy, unfair behavior, and the two of them live "fairly happily ever after." (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

In this evocative picture book, Hamilton (Her Stories; Bluish) spins a new tale from old, as she adapts a West Indian version of "Rumpelstiltskin." The warm Caribbean climes are home to Quashiba, a young spinner woman who becomes wife to the ruler of the land, Big King, having been chosen for her supposed ability to spin gold. When Big King expects her to actually produce rooms full of golden cloth, help arrives in the form of Lit'mahn, a troll-like creature with a wooden leg and a long tail. Lit'mahn extends the familiar "guess my name" challenge and, in keeping with other versions of the story, winds up on the losing end. Readers will enjoy the familiar feel and the gentle cadence of the story here, made all the more rhythmic by the West Indian dialect Hamilton employs ("Don't cha know!"; "For true!"). In opulent illustrations, the Dillons (To Every Thing There Is a Season) take it to the gilt, incorporating copious amounts of gold paint in their creamy acrylic compositions. They frame each right-hand, full-page scene with a luxurious gold-leaf border that extends partway onto the previous page. Gloriously colored garments from an imperial era gone by plus the truly hideous appearance of the wild-eyed, sharp-toothed Lit'mahn add drama and depth to the proceedings. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-After Quashiba's mother tells Big King that her daughter can spin golden thread, the lovely young woman finds herself wed to the handsome ruler. She enjoys a year of marriage but then must fill three rooms with gold cloth or remain imprisoned forever. Lit'mahn, a tiny devil-like creature that lurks in the shade of old trees, comes to her aid but challenges her to discover his name within three nights or he will carry her away. True to his promise, he fills the storerooms and Quashiba fulfills her part of the bargain. Luckily, on a royal outing Big King hears Lit'mahn chant his full name and shares his odd tale with his wife. The source of this folktale is apparent in the distinctive and lilting West Indian dialect that pervades this humorous and, at times, scary telling. The lavish use of gold within the acrylic illustrations and their frames is sumptuous and the royal formality is further enhanced by the page layout. The stylized and flat depiction of fabrics and backgrounds contrasts effectively with the expressively rendered people. And Lit'mahn, with his jagged teeth and pointy tail, is a cruel-looking creature indeed. The author explains the derivation of this variant on the final page, which also includes an interesting description of the illustration process. Readers familiar with "Tom Tit Tot" and "Rumpelstiltskin" will enjoy this island cousin, but it easily stands on its own as a charming and visually stunning tale of cunning, greed, and quixotic good fortune.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This stirring picture book will make even older readers think about a story they thought they knew. In immediate, colloquial style, with a rhythm just right for reading aloud, Hamilton retells a West Indian version of the universal little-man (Rumpelstiltskin) folktale. The trouble starts with Quashiba's mother. She boasts that her daughter can spin and weave a whole field of the finest gold thread. The greedy young Big King believes the lie, marries the lovely Quashiba, and after a year, locks her away and orders her to fill three rooms with gold. The little monster Lit'mahn promises to spin that gold for her. He does so in an uproar of wild, dancing energy. In return, Quashiba must guess his full name or be carried away by him forever. In the style of Gustav Klimt's patterned compositions, the Dillons' exquisite illustrations are both lavish and intricate. They express the romantic pageantry of palace and prince, and also the subversive presence of the sharp-toothed demon who lurks everywhere. The weaver's exquisitely detailed work evokes traditional African geometric cloths as well as contemporary gold-leaf floral designs. The ending is a surprise: no longer innocent, Quashiba is furious at the king for treating her so badly; he's sorry about his greed; and they live "fairly" happily ever after. As for Lit'mahn, he may still be around, just like now, "when his story be told." The dramatic words and pictures show that evil is in the humans who love the beautiful maiden as well as in the scary monster who threatens her. Hazel Rochman
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"Stirring...with a rhythm just right for reading aloud...a West Indian version of the universal little-man (Rumpelstiltskin) folktale. Quashiba's mother...boasts that her daughter can spin and weave a whole field of the finest gold thread. Dramatic words and pictures." - Booklist, starred review. "A charming and visually stunning tale of cunning, greed, and quixotic good fortune." - School Library Journal, starred review