Nicholas Pipe

By Robert D. San Souci

Book Overview

In this luminous picture book--based on an old folk legend and brought to life with David Shannon's glowing illustrations--master storyteller Robert San Souci tells the tale of Nicholas Pipe, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803717644
• ISBN13: 9780803717640
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.4" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A romantic fairy tale (best for older children)

This story, based on a short 14th or 15th century fairy tale, is compact and sophisticated. The themes of prejudice, longing, isolation, determination and courage are woven together into a story of forbidden love between a merman and a human woman. He is transformed into a man, but must touch the sea everyday or he will die; she loves him, but must stay away because of the prejudices borne of a family tragedy. It's a well-told story that really does leave you guessing until the very last page whether the ending will be happy or tragic. The author has wisely chosen not to use words for everything in the story but rather lets the illustrator fill in the blanks with haunting portraits of emotion, some of which are more abstract than others. While you know from the brief introduction that they have taken license with their original material, you can't help but feel by the end of the story that the original authors would approve.