Illustrated byL John Nickle
This book is about a farmer and his wife, how they are lonely, and how they want a child. The Farmer tells his wife that he would be happy with a child, even if it's half hedgehog! Lo and behold, the wife gives birth the next day to a child that's half human and half hedgehog. His parents are very supportive and get Hans a fiddle, which he plays amazingly. Hans develops a bond with the pigs on the farm, and they often accompany him on his adventures into the forest, where he is the only one to never get lost. One day, he can't stand being an outcast, so he tells his parents that he is going to go into the woods to live and that they can't stop him. He takes his band of pigs and they venture into the forest, where he teaches his piggies directions with different tones of his fiddle. One day, a lost king comes along, and Hans makes a deal that if he helps the king, he gets the first thing that the king sees when he gets to his castle. Turns out, his daughter is the first thing that he sees, but the king and daughter agree that she will not go to Hans. Soon, another king comes along and Hans strikes the same deal. When the king gets back to his palace, his daughter runs out to see him, and they decide to keep their promise to Hans. News eventually gets back to Hans about the two kings, so he takes his band of pigs and raids the first king's castle, stealing most of his treasure. He then goes to the second king's castle and marries the king's daughter. During the wedding, he starts playing his fiddle so majestically that his hedgehog skin falls off and he turns into a handsome prince!
This story is retold, because it was originally written by the Brother's Grimm (you can access the original story here). Obviously, Coombs' story is a lot more cheery and not bloody/gory. The main differences are that his parents are neglectful, the first princess is stabbed by his quills (not raided), and he sheds his skin and the guardsmen throw it into the fire for him to be able to be a man in the Grimm's tale.
This story would be great in the classroom, because it teaches children that if you keep your promises, good things will happen. However, it might show kids that it's not okay to be different, because Hans was an outcast when he was still living with his parents, but he did learn to be friends with his piggies. Overall, this was a very amusing book and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a story about a hedgehog riding a rooster with a band of piggies, playing a fiddle.
This book is a little odd, but maybe you have to read it to understand that a human gave birth to a half a human but it is okay because the pictures are cute and the story is similar to the Ugly Duckling just like you said above. I also really like the idea of an outcast and finding a wife and being happy in the end. children have trouble with being outcasts and this book seems different and cute at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that this book sounds a bit different. But I agree that the book resembles the theme of the Ugly Duckling, and that it can be used to help students see the outcast and how it could make them feel.
ReplyDeleteA very unique story. I love the Grimm Brothers and this is definitely a story they would write. Although this story may be odd to us it might not be so odd from a child's perspective. Their imaginations are much greater than ours. This book seems very cute and comical and has a great message. I could see myself using this story in my classroom someday.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really great book and I would like to read it. I liked how you included a link to the original story and talked about some of the differences between the two. Altogether, it sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI like the way that you put such a great deal of effort into making your blog posts! I feel that all should learn about stories like these because they always have a great meaning behind them.
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