Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Ragged Bears Ltd (2006), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 32 pages
Description
A king's children are changed into swans by their evil stepmother and can only be changed back when twin mountain peaks, the Man from the North and the Woman from the South, are joined.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Aridy
Turned into swans by their evil stepmother, the children of Lir must find a way to solve the riddle that their stepmother set before them on how to break the curse that is on them. With the help of the animals of the land, sea, and air they might be able to beat the evil curse.
LibraryThing member gundulabaehre
If one is not familiar with the traditional Irish myth/legend of the children of Lir, one might be able to enjoy Sheila MacGill-Callahan's very loose and very much changed retelling without reservations. Both the narrative and the illustrations are charming, evocative of love, jealousy, sadness,
As a tale in and of itself, the story is lovely and quite moving, and the illustrations are truly wonderful, stylish, artistic, expressive. However Sheila McGill-Callahan's The Children of Lir seems to have evolved into more of a Central European fairy tale; it no longer appears as the powerfully poignant, sorrowful tale of Irish (Celtic) legend it originally was meant to be. I would still recommend this book to children who enjoy fairytales and folktales, especially tales of children being changed into animals (older children, as there is quite a lot of text), but with a major caveat that this retelling of the Fate of the Children of Lir is to be approached more as a stylised "Kunstmärchen" refurbishing of the Irish original.
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adventure (combined with a typical, but clever happily-ever-after fairytale ending). However, although legends and myths undergo many changes, an author should clearly indicate wether his/her retelling, his/her version of a folktale, a legend is a radical departure from known and accepted versions. And in my opinion, with The Children of Lir, Sheila MacGill-Callahan has somewhat failed to do this. Yes, she does indicate in a rather rambling author's note that her reworking of the Fate of the Children of Lir is loosely based on an Irish myth. But her version of the story (with the happy ending, the deus ex machina of the rescuing whale, the different spelling of Aoife's name etc.) is so fundamentally different from traditional Irish lore that it really is no longer only a retelling, but an almost completely original story, one that uses the characters of the original tale (and even with these characters, there are changes), and the general concept of the children of Lir being changed into swans by a jealous stepmother, but not much else. Also, as the Fate of the Children of Lir is considered one of the most sorrowful and poignant tales of Irish folklore, of Irish storytelling (their curse of having to live 900 years as swans, their final release by a Christian monk, their immediate death from old age upon release from said curse), Sheila MacGill-Callahan's version, with its fairytale-like happy ending, seems almost a bit of an affront to Irish culture and lore (as though the author made use of the general theme but did not really care or understand that some myths, some legends should not be tampered with, should be treated with respect).As a tale in and of itself, the story is lovely and quite moving, and the illustrations are truly wonderful, stylish, artistic, expressive. However Sheila McGill-Callahan's The Children of Lir seems to have evolved into more of a Central European fairy tale; it no longer appears as the powerfully poignant, sorrowful tale of Irish (Celtic) legend it originally was meant to be. I would still recommend this book to children who enjoy fairytales and folktales, especially tales of children being changed into animals (older children, as there is quite a lot of text), but with a major caveat that this retelling of the Fate of the Children of Lir is to be approached more as a stylised "Kunstmärchen" refurbishing of the Irish original.
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LibraryThing member nancynova
Gorgeously illustrated book, with a fairy tale that Shakespeare's King Lear was probably based on
LibraryThing member jaelynculliford
Another fairy tale about an Evil Queen jealous of her stepchildren. This book was loosely based on an irish folklore. It was written beautifully and the artwork was amazing. I would recommend this to a student if they enjoy fantasy.
LibraryThing member Whisper1
Based upon an Irish legend, this is yet another folktale of the wicked step mother who despised her husband's children. Turning the four children to swans, she captures them and they are secluded.
There is a happy ending, and of course with the illustrations of Gennedy Spiring, the images are lush
There is a happy ending, and of course with the illustrations of Gennedy Spiring, the images are lush
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and incredibly rendered. Show Less
Awards
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 1995)
Language
Physical description
32 p.; 11.42 inches
ISBN
1857141288 / 9781857141283
Local notes
A reworking of the Fate of the Children of Lir fairly loosely based on the Irish myth.
As the Fate of the Children of Lir is considered one of the most sorrowful and poignant tales of Irish folklore, the fairytale-like happy ending of this version seems almost a bit of an affront to Irish culture and lore. But the pictures are beautiful.
As the Fate of the Children of Lir is considered one of the most sorrowful and poignant tales of Irish folklore, the fairytale-like happy ending of this version seems almost a bit of an affront to Irish culture and lore. But the pictures are beautiful.