Product Description

A masterful new translation and exquisite illustrations make this version of Hans Christian Andersen's timeless classic one to treasure. When a young soldier meets an old witch, he comes into possession of a magical tinderbox. It has the power to summon three fearsome dogs to do his bidding, and with their help the soldier escapes death, wins the hand of a beautiful princess and lives happily ever after...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3097257 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"Dismayed that tales of wonder and magic are set in foreign lands and distant times," Moser has chosen to ignore all but the skeletal plot of Andersen's original story and to rewrite it making use of American characters and settings and a mellifluous Southern voice for the narration. Andersen's hero becomes Yoder Ott, a Confederate soldier on his way home from the Civil War; the old witch is changed into a wily mountain man and the princess is the henpecked mayor's beguiling daughter, Elvira Abernathy. Most mysterious are the large-eyed dogs, which in Moser's rendering are both realistic and wonderfully magical at the same time. With characteristic clean lines and rich paintings, the book's design is as splendid as its recast story. Moser's work breathes new life into an old classic, from its arresting cover to its satisfying ending. All ages.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Purists will be horrified. This is not just a retelling , but a complete re-imagining of the tale. Moser keeps the structure: a war-weary soldier acquires a tinderbox, ventures into a glittering underworld, and braves three huge dogs. The box' magic gives him access to wealth and to love: for the latter he nearly hangs, but the tinderbox saves him and all ends happily. Everything but the action, however, is Moser's: time, place, characters, idiom. The hero is an ex-Confederate. Instead of a witch, the old curmudgeon who sends him after the box is an east Tennessee mountain man. The dialect is Appalachian country; the heroine is the green-eyed daughter of an absentee politician and his domineering wife (removed by the dogs so the young couple can triumph). Moser's superb watercolors are chiefly portraits of the principals: the old codger; the country girl; the open-faced hero, Yoder Ott--and the three dogs, whose eyes are not quite as big as wagon wheels or windmills. Their vivid individuality convincingly links the real, the historic, and the fantastic, giving a new, distinctly American life to the tale. Moser's reincarnation of this story is as magical as any fairy-tale transformation. Andersen would be envious. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Mitchell and Ibatoulline follow The Nightingale (2002) with another beautifully illustrated version of a Hans Christian Andersen story. Mitchell's words are rich and colloquial. He doesn't cite sources, but his telling brings to mind Erik Christian Haugaard's translation of Andersen's tale about a soldier who finds riches and escapes death with the help of a magic tinderbox. What stands out most, though, are Ibatoulline's dramatic illustrations. Rendered in pen-and-ink, the figures spring gloriously to life: the handsome soldier, gnarled witch, and imposing, wild-eyed monster-dogs are all unforgettable, as are the boisterous eighteenth-century street and banquet scenes crowded with expressive villagers. The colors--parchment backgrounds accented with the elegant, pastel shades of painted china--extend the Old World flavor and provide a stately counterpoint to the wild, scary activity. Reminiscent of Nancy Ekholm Burkert's exquisite illustrations for the Caldecott Honor Book Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs (1972), these captivating scenes will show well to both large and small groups, and the book is an excellent choice for classroom units on Andersen. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Wonderful rendition of Anderson's tale
Whoever reviewed this book in "editorial" needs to have their eyes examined. Grotesque watercolors? Inept humor? What are they talking about? This is the FIRST version of the Tinderbox by H.C. Anderson, one of my favorite fairy tales that I've really found to be pleasing. The three dogs with humoungous eyes are delightfully fantastic, and the hero and heroine well rendered. The more bloodthirsty and amoral elements of the tale are changed (ie: the soldier doesn't lop off the witch's head but instead traps her in a deep pit) to its improvement, IMHO. Warhola's watercolors are cheerful, fairly realistic, quite appropriate for the lighthearted and rambunctious story.
A great introduction to an exuberant tale for the young, especially for boys. It's not a wimpy fairytale by any means, even if there is a princess and kissing at the end. Warhola and Thompson do a commendable job. Should be reprinted!

Amazon, you've got the wrong reiews attributed to this book!
This version of THE TINDERBOX is engaging and lovely. The illustrations are captivating and the storytelling wonderful. For some reason, the reviews Amazon has posted list Moser as the author and puts the story after the Civil War. I don't know which book they're referring to, but it's NOT this one.

Not a Book for Young Children or Anyone Else
I would not recommend this book. It is very violent and not for anyone under age 13. There are several capricious murders and a general glorification of wealth. First, the killing of the witch is a gruesome surprise that I caught just before I read that sentence to my four year old. The witch had just provided the soldier the means to be wealthy and he cuts off her head when she never even threatened him, rather she just asked him to keep his end of the bargain by giving her the tinderbox. He basically murders her for a tinderbox that he doesn't know at that point of the story is magical. That would be like killing someone for a box of matches. Also, when the soldier has money, he is happy and has friends. When he is runs out of money, his friends leave him and all he can think about is how do I get more money. Finally, the king and queen are murdered and their daughter the princess takes it all in stride and immediately marries the man who killed them, whom she has never met. Not a good message - a really bad fairy tale book with absolutely no moral other than "might makes right".

The only people this book that might enjoy this book are Hans Christian Andersen enthusiasts.