For Sure! For Sure!

by Hans Christian Andersen, Mus White (Translator), Stefan Czernecki (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner of NAPPA Children's Resources Gold Award Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark and grew up to be the world's greatest storyteller. He is best known for hist stories The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Nightingale, and The Emperor's New Clothes. His stories are loved by children everywhere. In Mus White's skillful adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic folk story, "There Is No Doubt About It", the news that a hen has lost a feather grows into a humorous tale of five chickens engaged in battle as the story spreads from coop to coop and from hen to hen. This new translation is faithful to the original and yet remains as fresh and appealing today as the day it was written. Stefan Czernecki's bright primary illustrations and panel design reflect the comic boldness as each chicken passes along the story, until it is no longer recognizable to the original hen who started it in the first place. For Sure! For Sure! is a powerful story with a strong message that both children and adults will enjoy. This retelling of an old fairytale teaches readers the importance of citizenship and trustworthiness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874837421
Publisher:	August House Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/13/2005
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.18(w) x 9.24(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stefan Czernecki Bio Stefan Czernecki was born in a refugee camp in Germany and now lives in a small glass apartment one hundred and fifty feet above the ground. For inspiration, he travels to faraway places like Tokyo, Mexico City, New York and Marrakesh. Sometimes he just takes a walk around the block. A number of his books are inspired by folk art from other countries. His creative work has been awarded the prestigious Aesop Accolade given by the American Folklore Society.

Date of Birth:

April 2, 1805

Date of Death:

August 4, 1875

Place of Birth:

Odense, Denmark

Place of Death:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-4-A shrewd observation of human nature, this tale combines elements of "Chicken Little" and the game of Telephone. After a chicken loses a feather while grooming herself, she notes aloud how her plucking has contributed to her beauty. The tongue-in-cheek narration, which is amusing in its modernity, describes how the comment is seized and passed along, becoming ever more dramatic as it travels. Overheard by Mama Owl, the tale is relayed to the pigeon house, crowed by the rooster, picked up by the bats, and finally returned to the original coop. In its final form, it features five chickens, madly plucking "to prove which one of them wasted away the most because of their love for the rooster." The bold, flat acrylic images, outlined in black, are presented in framed sequences that vary in size and frequency. This design suggests a newsreel or newspaper account. Key phrases are enlarged and printed in white against the vivid backgrounds, furthering the effect. One of Andersen's lesser-known works, the tale last appeared as It's Perfectly True! (Holiday, 1988; o.p.), illustrated by Janet Stevens. Children in the primary grades are just the right age to understand the effects of gossip and to learn to question what they hear and read. Either version provides a memorable vehicle for that message.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The hens who overhear a chicken's innocent remark about losing a feather-and then pass the information on from one bird to another-do not recognize their own tale as, in true "telephone" fashion, it evolves into a story about how five lovesick hens killed themselves by plucking out all of their feathers and then pecking each other. "Spread the news!" Sadly, this retelling of Andersen's "There Is No Doubt About It" falls far short of Janet Stevens's touchstone but out-of-print version: It's Perfectly True (1988). The cliches and asides used throughout the retelling are distracting, taking away from, rather than adding to the progression. Large font emphasizes some of the dialogue, but the placement and design of the layout seem disjointed and forced. Czernecki's bold and vividly colored graphics are definitely attention-grabbing, but not enough so to redeem the retelling. (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews