Mother Holle

Kathy Corrigan is the journals editor at the OISE Press.

One in the Classic Folktale series from Quarry Press, this is a concise
retelling of the tale of the kind and generous daughter and the mean and
lazy daughter. Both girls go down the well, and each meets the oven and
the apple tree, but their responses to these creatures vary
considerably. The kind girl shakes Mother Holle’s pillows well, making
snow for the earth below, and for this she is justly rewarded. The lazy
girl, however, is lazy, and when the snow ceases to fall, she too gets
the reward she deserves.

Accompanying the fine text are Peter Becker’s vibrant, expressive,
and often funny illustrations, which take place on several levels, with
a scene above and a scene below ground, for example, or with circling
sweeps of color that make the eye dance round to the various events
depicted on the page. Only on a second or third reading do we really
appreciate the excellent design work of Peter Dorn. Recommended.