Product Description

A classic love story is complemented by lavish watercolor illustrations and follows the adventure of a one-legged tin toy soldier who falls helplessly in love with a beautiful paper ballerina and is swept away on a dangerous adventure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3330108 in Books
• Published on: 1996-03-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover

From Publishers Weekly
The masterful pastel illustrations that distinguished the artist's Caldecott Honor-winning Puss in Boots transform yet another timeless tale into a modern classic. This graceful retelling of Andersen's touching story of true love between a malformed toy soldier and a paper ballerina is charged with both romance and heroism. Alternating perspectives achieve striking visual effect--toys and animals loom large as seen through the stoic vision of the brave soldier; at other points during his perilous journey he appears as a mere sliver of blue and red amid the city's bustle. The soft glow of candlelight imparts a shadowy warmth to the interior scenes, which feature a gaggle of handsomely turned out children admiring their Christmas bounty. Seidler's ( A Rat's Tale ; The Tar Pit ) polished prose perfectly complements the artwork: "The tin soldier was so touched that he would have shed tin tears--if he hadn't been in uniform. As it was, he just looked at her, and she looked at him, neither of them saying a word." Though perfect for the holiday season, this exquisite book may well stay on the shelf year-round. All ages.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?A retelling of Andersen's familiar story of a one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina and survives a remarkable adventure, only to meet a fiery end. Isadora's graceful narrative is simpler than Paul Galdone's classic interpretation (Houghton, 1979; o.p.) or that by Tor Seidler (HarperCollins, 1992) with illustrations by Fred Marcellino. She captures the essential story while making it more accessible to young listeners. Type is neatly enclosed in trim boxes inset into the lush double-spread watercolor paintings, which convey the action as ably as the text. The large format is appealing, with its well-defined shapes and intriguing perspectives. In a poignant detail, the tin soldier appears on the front book flap and the ballerina on the back flap. The clear and readable text and trademark Isadora paintings make this version a steadfast addition to any collection.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4^-7. In a young boy's room, a one-legged tin soldier stares lovingly at the ballerina doll, who also balances on one leg. When the boy carelessly places him on the windowsill, the little soldier falls to the street below and begins a journey that takes him to strange and dangerous places, and then brings him back home. There, in the flames of the stove, the tin soldier is finally united with his ballerina. This picture-book version of the classic fairy tale distills Andersen's original down to the essential narrative without fundamentally changing the nature of the story. The illustrations, varied in perspective and well composed for dramatic effect, tell the tale through a series of colorful double-page spreads that feature impressionistic views of nineteenth-century scenes. The simplified text makes this beautiful book suitable for a somewhat younger audience than the equally fine Seidler/Marcellino and Lewis/Lynch editions, both published in 1992. Carolyn Phelan

Customer Reviews

THIS STORY MADE ME CRY AS A CHILD
A little boy had a set of tin soldiers that were made from a melted spoon. One soldier was missing a leg because there was not enough metal left over from the melted spoon.

Tossed aside by the boy, the one-legged soldier sees a paper cut out figure of a ballerina. She is poised on one leg and he feels an instant bond. He has found another one-legged toy and believes this to be love.

The steadfast tin soldier has a series of mishaps. He falls off the window sill into a stream. From there, he is transported to a rat infested sewer. He is swallowed by a fish and through an unlikely stroke of luck, winds up back in the boy's playroom with the other toys and the ballerina.

The ending is what gets to me every single time. A gust of wind lifts the paper ballerina up and she flutters into the fire place, winding up a charred heap of ashes. Devastated, the tin soldier joins her. The remaining metal that was once the tin soldier is a charred piece of heart shaped metal.

I still think this is a very sad story. The photographs really emphasize the feeling this story evokes.

Brilliant! Improves on the original version.
This is a really good book. It has all the characteristic's that made the original a cherished and remembered fairy tale. It is a great gift for any young child, and can be enjoyed by adults too. It maintains the feel of the original tale, but is more like a poem. The art work on each page is beautiful, and the pictures are totally devine. I would recomend buying this for a different and fully enjoyable version of the original.

Classic tale, well told
This book tells the classic tale of the one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina. The soldier suffers a series of misadventures, including being placed at the helm of a doomed paper boat, being chased by a rat, and swallowed by a fish. It's a wonderful tale that will hold older children spellbound. The illustrations are delightful. All told, the book has about 2000 words.