G. W. Dasent (1817–1896)

A white bear seeks and wins the companionship of a young girl in this gorgeous retelling of a Norwegian folktale, and they go to live together in his opulent palace inside a mountain. But when the girl is allowed to visit the family she left behind, and is advised by her mother to secretly spy upon her ursine husband, who visits her every night in human form, her actions lead to disaster. Now caught in his ogreish step-mother's spell, the bear departs for her castle east o' the sun and west o' the moon, leaving the girl to follow after him. Aided by three old crones and by the four winds, the girl eventually finds her love... but can she save him from the spell?

Recorded by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their 1844 collection of Norwegian folklore, this tale was first translated into English in 1859 by Sir George Webbe Dasent, as part of his Popular Tales from the Norse, and it is that translation which is used here, in this picture book presentation from Candlewick Press. The story is accompanied by the breathtakingly beautiful watercolor artwork of Irish illustrator P.J. Lynch, and is introduced by British children's literature scholar Naomi Lewis. Although I have read this tale in many collections, and seen it presented elsewhere in picture book form (see Gillian Barlow's version, for instance), this version of East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon remains my absolute favorite! The story is enchanting (of course!), and the illustrations astonishingly lovely. Recommended to all folk and fairy-tale lovers, as well as to fellow fans of P.J. Lynch's work.… (mehr)

Genre:Folktale
Age Appropriateness: Grade 3-7
Review: The illustrations are absolutely gorgous, the writing (translation is by Sir George Webbe Dasent) is quirky and reads well.This book can be considered as Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast. This story is about a bewitched prince and the determined lassie who loves him and overcome a serious of difficulties, finally win price's heart and live happily with the prince. The plot got on my nerves.I am in awe at how this fairy tale ended. It was beautiful and the message even better! It also show how this lassie grew by meeting this prince and striving for what she wanted most.
It meets the criteria of Folktale because the story is a body of popular myth——similar to Beauty and the Beast. The beliefs also relating to a particular place (Scandinavia), activity( palace and find the prince), or group of people (lassie's family, 3 hags, price, princess, stepmother.… (mehr)