The Brave Little Seamstress

Starred review from March 25, 2002
With this return engagement of the creators behind Kate and the Beanstalk, Osborne and Pope seem to be giving fairytale history a feminist makeover, one character at a time. Unleashing the same sass and spirit that lit up the pages of their first team effort, the collaborators here present a stalwart seamstress who, after slaying seven flies, embroiders "Seven with One Blow!" on the back of her favorite pink coat. She quickly decides that "her little workshop was far too small to contain her valor" and so sets off into the wide world, where her advertisement is repeatedly misinterpreted in a series of amusing encounters. When she's mistaken for a "woman warrior," for instance, her no-nonsense approach prompts two giants to polish each other off. Potter joins in the fun when she portrays the seamstress using her red-toned coat toreador-style to lure a unicorn into captivity. In a clever twist on the denouement, when a greedy king reneges on his promise to the heroine, Osborne sends an admiring knight to warn the seamstress, who then delivers the king's comeuppance and wins both his kingdom and the hand of the knight (she proposes, naturally). Osborne's jaunty retelling ("Her heart wagged with joy like the tail of a lamb") acts as the ideal springboard for Potter's wry illustrations, a comely pastiche of droll, spindly-legged characters and pastoral settings rendered in the same soft earth tones that marked their debut outing. This briskly imaginative romp will sew up fans' allegiance and gear them up for this pair's next Grimm makeover. All ages.

April 1, 2002
K-Gr 3-The popular story of "The Brave Little Tailor" receives its just revision as a feminist adventure. All of the familiar elements are present-the jam and the flies, the giants, the unicorn, and the wild boar-but the finale is a delightful twist. The brave little seamstress marries the knight who has told her of the king's plan to be rid of her, and becomes a legendary "kind and wise" and "strong and brave" queen. Osborne, who previously collaborated with Potter on Kate and the Beanstalk (Atheneum, 2000), has crafted another lively tale suited to reading aloud or telling. In a note, the author relates that the Brothers Grimm collected the story from female relatives and that Andrew Lang, whose version she has adapted, relied on his female relatives for retellings and translations. Potter's stylized art, rendered in pencil, ink, gouache, and watercolor, is replete with humorous details. The diminutive but clever seamstress perched on the knee of the huge and slightly befuddled giant sets the tone for this playful version. The palette of greens, browns, and oranges for the giants and the landscapes, and royal purple for the king is appealing. The use of a running stitch design for the title and some page borders adds to the visual treat. A beautifully designed book that children will enjoy and adults will want to share again and again.-Susan Pine, New York Public Library

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2002
Ages 5-8. The dynamic duo that created " Kate and the Beanstalk" (2000) has concocted another fairy-tale winner with this feminist retelling of "The Brave Little Tailor." The whimsically perky, generous text is perfectly matched to the illustrations, in Potter's signature ink-gouache-gesso-watercolors, which affix just the right amount of sauciness to the cheeky heroine who outwits three giants, a unicorn, a wild boar, and the king (and his 100 knights). Of course, the girl marries the knight who warned her of the king's wicked plan to ship her out to sea, then takes over the throne and rules the land. An author's note on the frontispiece accounts for the "reworking" of the German tale and justifies turning the tailor into a seamstress. Clever touches of humor--the seamstress' corkscrew curls; text pages framed by stitching; and "Seven with One Blow" sewn on the seamstress' pink coat--add to the fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)