I picked up the Dulcimer Boy at a local library sale. Nicely packaged and illustrated children’s hardback for two bucks? Yeah, hard for me to pass that up.
It turned out to be a rather simple folktale. I enjoyed it, and read it in one sitting, but I can see how the simplicity and the familiar story line might undermine some reader’s enjoyment.
Here is the School Library Journal:
First published in 1979 (Viking; o.p.) for adults, Seidler’s early-20th-century New England fairy tale receives an inspired pictorial resurrection by Selznick. Tracing the footsteps of musically gifted William Carbuncle from his arrival on his uncaring uncle’s doorstep in a box containing him, his brother, and a silver-stringed dulcimer, the story follows William’s escape and journey south. Tricked by an innkeeper into a year’s servitude, he spends his days plotting his brother’s rescue and his nights playing sorrowful love songs of the sea to drunken sailor crowds. Liberation soon appears in the guise of a fictional New York City mayor, and William finally frees his brother from servitude and gains his own independence. Though Dulcimer Boy is without traditional fairy-tale elements, magic instead is portrayed as artistic accomplishment, inspiration, and drive. And, Seidler’s simple yet eloquent prose likens William’s plight to a caged songbird, cleverly weaving the hero’s physical dilemma and pursuit of artistic creativity into the novel’s rising tension. Selznick’s detailed sense of light and shadow shines as his soft-textured acrylic paintings not only echo the novel’s overall poetic melancholy, but also serve as integral pieces of the plot itself. This fusion of fantastic storytelling and engaging illustrations makes Dulcimer Boy an exciting and inspirational work that will be read, both alone and aloud, and remembered.
I think this sentence of the above review captures what I enjoyed about the story and why others may not react the same way: “Selznick’s detailed sense of light and shadow shines as his soft-textured acrylic paintings not only echo the novel’s overall poetic melancholy, but also serve as integral pieces of the plot itself.”
That combination of prose and illustration creating poetic melancholy appeals to me. Is it a well worn plot device? Sure, is it a gritty, realistic and tension filled story line? Of course not, this isn’t a thriller after all. It is a simple story but the “simple yet eloquent prose” combined with the engaging illustrations makes for a good story.
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This is a reissue of the book that originally was published in 1987. It is a version of the beloved tale of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Once again, children become acquainted with the charming little girl who always wears the red cap that was given to her by her grandmother. One day while on her way to visit her ailing grandmother, she meets the sly and cunning wolf in the forest. He persuades her to wander off the path and gather some flowers for her grandmother, while he rushes to grandmother’s house and gobbles her up. He then pretends to be grandmother and also devours Little Red Cap. Of course, the brave and clever hunter saves both the old lady and Little Red Cap. Zwerger’s beautiful illustrations are an ideal accompaniment to the text as they portray the characters (especially the wolf) with depth and emotion. All libraries should add this to their fairy tale collection.
