David Walser was born in 1937 in Singapore, where his father
was serving in the R.A.F. Trapped in Indo-China by the outbreak of
World War II, David Walser and his mother made a perilous escape
back to England. He is a writer, translator, artist, and musician,
and has collaborated with Jan Pie´nkowski on eleven books. He lives
in London.
Jan Pienkowski was born in Poland in 1936. When his family
heard the sound of approaching guns that marked the coming of World
War II, they headed for Warsaw, the first step in an odyssey that
took them to Bavaria, on to Italy, and finally, to England. Jan
Pienkowski is a two-time winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and
lives in London.
The Pienkowski-Walser team exuberantly present eight dramatic
Polish folktales featuring the violence, evil, and heroism
characteristic of the genre. The stories are well told and paced,
as heroes and villains face death, transmutation, and the devil.
... The text is enhanced by the attractive illustrations, rendered
in cut-paper collage and mixed media. The use of black silhouettes
with bright colors on mostly white backgrounds lets the images pop.
... A solid addition to libraries where folktale collections
circulate well.
—School Library Journal
A satisfying retelling of eight Polish tales, paired with bold
multicolor paper cuttings that employ traditional and modern
motifs. ... The stories are lively and accessible... The
sometimes-whimsical illustrations use silhouettes and collage and
exhibit a range of clothing styles. The animals, both real and
mythical, are especially effective.
—Kirkus Reviews
In a clear, measured tone and vintage feel, Walser’s stories cover
a broad range of narratives. ... Piekowski’s digitally enhanced
cut-paper illustrations cover every page, and ... their unusual
blend of geometric shapes, bright colors, and stylized figures is
eye-catching.
—Booklist
The strong colors and shiny feel of the book are rather striking;
even more so are Jan Pienkowski's high-contrast paper cutout
illustrations, which derive from Polish folk art but which, in
these pages, emit an almost African vibe. The tales vary in length
and strength, as folk tales do, but together offer a dramatic
glimpse into the Polish storytelling tradition.
—Wall Street Journal
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