The Girl Who Spun Gold

Amazon.com Price: $18.99 (as of 05/05/2019 05:40 PST- Details)

Description

This colorfully illustrated book with gold foil jacket offers young readers an African-American version of the classic “Rumplestiltzkin” tale. 30,000 first printing.
A lovely peasant girl named Quashiba is spinning thread and laughing with her mama in the future when young Big King comes riding through the trees, wondering what the entire noise is about. Quashiba’s quick-thinking, fast-talking mama tells a terrible fib. “Oh, great Big King, my daughter is spinning a whole field of finest golden thread to make cloth for his Highest. And we are so happy, we are rejoicing about it, don’t cha know.” And before Quashiba knows what’s happening, Big King comes to a decision that he should have her as his queen so that she may spin him rooms full of golden thread. In despair, Quashiba concurs to a near-inconceivable bargain with a demonic, pointy-toothed little imp who shows up, promising to help her make the golden things.

The universal “Lit’mahn” folktale has many variants all over the world, including the most productive-known German version, Rumpelstiltskin. In this West Indian version, the award-winning team of Virginia Hamilton and Leo and Diane Dillon, who, among them, have received the National Book Award, the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honors, the Coretta Scott King Award, two Caldecott Medals, and many others, has created a spectacularly beautiful and delightful rendering of the favorite tale. Hamilton translates the language into a lilting colloquial style, perfect for reading aloud, even as the Dillons use metallic paint and gold leaf to produce stunning, frame-worthy paintings replete with patterns, textures, and lavish colors. In a charming, strong-woman twist, the story concludes with Quashiba demanding (and her husband giving) an apology for his greedy, unfair behavior, and the two of them live “slightly happily ever after.” (Ages 5 to 8) –Emilie Coulter

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