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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'As Luck Would Have It' is a retelling of one of the Brother's Grimm's stories, Clever Elise. This one is told with a family of bears. It's a silly story of what happens when people don't think, but it all turns out okay in the end.
When mom and dad have to go care for grandmother, they leave the children in charge. On their way out, they specifically point out where the stash of gold is and tell the kids not to touch it. Which seems pretty irresponsible, especially given what follows. The two young bears go about their chores in a lazy manner which results in all kinds of calamity. Things like letting the oxen plow the field themselves or rolling the cheese wheels down the hill to the market. When the ultimate bad thing happens, the children go to the rescue, and manage to save the day and turn everything all right again.
The story is silly, and it's fun to watch the bears get into more and more trouble. The artwork is pretty great. I think it would be a fun book to read to kids.
I received a review copy of this ebook from August House, Little Folk and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
When mom and dad have to go care for grandmother, they leave the children in charge. On their way out, they specifically point out where the stash of gold is and tell the kids not to touch it. Which seems pretty irresponsible, especially given what follows. The two young bears go about their chores in a lazy manner which results in all kinds of calamity. Things like letting the oxen plow the field themselves or rolling the cheese wheels down the hill to the market. When the ultimate bad thing happens, the children go to the rescue, and manage to save the day and turn everything all right again.
The story is silly, and it's fun to watch the bears get into more and more trouble. The artwork is pretty great. I think it would be a fun book to read to kids.
I received a review copy of this ebook from August House, Little Folk and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
kittykult's review against another edition
4.0
A cute, funny retelling of a Brothers' Grimm story about working together and thinking before you act. It contains many lessons and many, many laughs. It has a little more text and isn't exactly preferable for "acting out" the story, but children who can read on their own or read along with a little bit of help would benefit from discussing the themes with their parents.
scostner's review against another edition
4.0
The San Soucis have done a wonderful job of bringing this tale from the Brothers Grimm to life.
As often happens in fairy tales, the parents leave to take care of a ailing grandparent and the children are left at home and told to be careful. (Obviously the parents never listen to fairy tales or they would know better.) As soon as the parents leave, trouble begins. Jonas leaves the oxen to plow on their own while he naps, then is angry that they have wandered all over the field rather than making straight rows. Juniper leaves the cider keg flowing and makes a mess of the cellar. You get the idea. And then there are the peddlers selling pots and pans...
The illustrations are what we have all come to expect from a San Souci book. The beautiful watercolors provide a warmth and depth to each scene. But it is the facial expressions that bring the characters to life. The wide-eyed panic of the oxen in the pond. The greed on the peddlers' face when they see the family's gold. And the bewilderment when the forest drops biscuits on their heads. Each expression is priceless. Young readers will be laughing out loud at the action.
A great story to read when talking to children about responsibility and paying attention.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
As often happens in fairy tales, the parents leave to take care of a ailing grandparent and the children are left at home and told to be careful. (Obviously the parents never listen to fairy tales or they would know better.) As soon as the parents leave, trouble begins. Jonas leaves the oxen to plow on their own while he naps, then is angry that they have wandered all over the field rather than making straight rows. Juniper leaves the cider keg flowing and makes a mess of the cellar. You get the idea. And then there are the peddlers selling pots and pans...
The illustrations are what we have all come to expect from a San Souci book. The beautiful watercolors provide a warmth and depth to each scene. But it is the facial expressions that bring the characters to life. The wide-eyed panic of the oxen in the pond. The greed on the peddlers' face when they see the family's gold. And the bewilderment when the forest drops biscuits on their heads. Each expression is priceless. Young readers will be laughing out loud at the action.
A great story to read when talking to children about responsibility and paying attention.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
1.0
Wow, I really did not like this book proving not every Brothers Grimm tale is a gem. The children in this book were so extremely stupid that it wasn't even close to being funny, just annoying. Also, not sure why the main characters were bears dressed as humans when they were still presented as humans, it was just kind of an odd choice.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
This is a cute retelling of the Grimm’s Clever Elise using bears, who are not the run of the mill bear family. The drawings are cute. It’s a bit wordy, and doesn’t seem to be crafted to be read aloud via performance. The book is well suited to be read, not performed, to a child or for a child to read on his or her own.
The artwork is lovely, and the fact that it shows a brother and sister working together is nice as well. The brother and sister aren’t lovely dovey, but an everyday type of brother and sister.
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