Review by Booklist Review
Working with a different illustrator but in a format as handsome as Mitchell's previous Hans Christian Andersen retellings, the noted translator presents a lesser-known tale by the brothers Grimm. An eight-year-old prince releases a wild, cursed captive named Iron Hans, then, under the wild man's protection, rises to fame in a neighboring kingdom. The story is a bit of a hodgepodge, and while Mitchell provides no sources or commentary, comparisons with authoritative translations suggest that his alterations lend coherence to some of the more puzzling elements (though not, unfortunately, to the question of the prince's stage of life, which shifts too abruptly from childhood to adulthood). Reproduced on creamy pages, Tavares' pencil-and-watercolor paintings are especially arresting in scenes where smudged yellow pigment simulates the shimmering of the prince's enchanted, pure-gold hair. When seeking folktales, children often gravitate to familiar stories, but those who stumble across this one will nonetheless be drawn by its inviting format and interestingly enigmatic qualities.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Spreads of brawny figures and armored knights endow this retelling of a Grimm Brothers' tale with epic dimensions. The story concerns a prince who helps a king win a decisive victory with the magical assistance of Iron Hans, a shock-headed giant. Mitchell (The Nightingale) spins the German original into a tale of inner awakening, conferring on his young prince the insight of a spiritual seeker; the boy recognizes that his adventures are a trial before they even start. "He knew also that part of this new test was learning how to be poor and powerless. He would have to keep his identity hidden and let no one guess that he was a prince." Mitchell's ascetic reading sits a little oddly next to Tavares's ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) strapping figures, as Tavares seems to locate the source of the story's charm in outer strength, not inner search. Clamoring knights, galloping steeds and scenes of palace splendor crowd the pages, which rise in a vertical format as if to stress Iron Hans's nine-foot stature. Iron Hans's mane sticks out like a wire brush, and the prince's hair, turned golden in Iron Hans's magic spring, shines like light. Complex and muscular, this is a good bet for readers who demand lots of action. Ages 6-10. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-This fairy-tale retelling describes how a clever huntsman captured a nine-foot-tall wild man who had been sitting at the bottom of a forest pool, killing anyone who came near. Placed in a cage at the palace, the wild man convinced the young prince to free him, explaining that he had been put under an evil spell. The prince ran away with the wild man, who gave him the task of watching a golden spring to see that it remained unpolluted. But when the boy leaned over to look at himself, his hair accidentally dipped into the water and turned to gold. Because of his failure, the wild man sent him out into the world to learn what it was like to be poor, telling him to return to the forest and call for "Iron Hans" if he was ever in trouble. In good fairy-tale style, the prince got a job at a nearby palace, saved the kingdom with the help of his friend, and married the princess. In this version of the ponderous tale, Mitchell attempts to add some coherence to the history of the wild man, but even so, it's a convoluted story. The formal book design and the stiff, dark illustrations with their many shades of brown and gray add to the tale's weighty tone. For libraries wishing to have a strong collection of the Grimms' individual tales, this version is adequate if not exciting.-Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tavares's tidy, literal, clean-lined illustrations give this retelling of a particularly surreal Brothers Grimm tale some welcome grounding in reality. Mitchell leaves the original's hard-to-summarize plot largely intact. That one features, among other elements, a nine-foot-tall wild man with vast wealth and magical abilities, a runaway prince trying to hide the fact that his hair has turned to gold, a war, two kings, three golden apples and a bold but compliant princess. But he has fleshed out the characters and the final happy scene a bit. Eric Kimmel's edition (1994), illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, and Marianna Mayer's (1999), illustrated by Winslow Pels, both titled Iron John, are more coherent but necessarily freer renditions; this one makes some concessions to modern young readers, but is closer to the older tale, and so to its oral progenitor. An intriguing alternative to the other two. (Picture book/folktale. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
