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A well-loved tale, Clever Katarina is retold in this beautifully illustrated book by Ken Setterington.
Katarina is a poor girl who lives with her father in a small hut. The little bit of land that they have is too rocky to farm, so when the king announces that he will be clearing land for farming, Katarina sends her father to ask the king for a piece of the land. The king is touched by the poor man’s plight of poverty and gives Katarina’s father a small patch of the land to farm. Together, Katarina and her father begin preparing the soil for planting. However, while digging, Katarina finds a golden mortar buried in the ground. Her father, excited by the find, wants to give the golden mortar to the king as a gift of thanks for the land. What good is a mortar without a pestle? No good, according to Clever Katarina who fears the worst. She begs her father not to take the mortar to the king, but her father decides not to listen to his daughter’s good advice. Upon giving the golden mortar to the king, the father comes to realize his mistake. The king is pleased with the mortar but also wants the pestle that belongs to it. Since Katarina’s father cannot produce the pestle, the king believes that the man has kept the pestle for himself and has the father taken to prison. There is nothing Katarina can do. She does not have the pestle and does not know where to begin looking for it. She continues to work on the farm, planting seeds that she has borrowed from her good neighbors. Soon, news comes to the kings that his prisoner’s daughter was clever enough to warn her father against bringing the golden mortar to the king. Intrigued, the king releases the father and tells him to send Katarina to the palace the next day. Upon her arrival, the king gives Katarina a riddle to solve. If she can solve the riddle, Katarina will become his queen. If she fails, her father will return to prison. Armed with only her wits, Katarina sets off to solve the king’s riddle. Clever Katarina: A Tale in Six Parts, retold by Ken Setterington (Tundra Books, 2006, ISBN 0-88776-764-8), is a charming picture book for both the young and old. The story itself is well written and lends itself well to being read out loud to a group of children. The illustrations, by Nelly and Ernst Hofer, are absolutely incredible. Made using traditional cut-paper art known as scherenschnitt, the artwork leaves the reader in awe over the intricate details shown on nearly every page. Clever Katarina, A Russian folktale, is a well-loved story that has been retold many times. Mr. Setterington, however, gives us one of the best versions of this story by portraying strong, positive characters throughout the story. Every character, especially the neighboring farmers and fisherfolk, lends a hand in helping Katarina solve the king’s riddle.
The copyright of the article Clever Katarina in Picture Books is owned by Elizabeth Yetter. Permission to republish Clever Katarina in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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