Olga Dugina and Adrej Dugin take the classic children's fairy tale, The Brave Little Tailor, to a whole new level with their compelling illustrations.
If the idea of introducing your child to a classic fairy tale and of exposing him to beautiful and creative artwork appeals to you, The Brave Little Tailor, by Olga Dugina and Andrej Dugin is a book worth buying.
Original Publication of the Story
The Brothers Grimm originally published The Brave Little Tailorin 1812, as part of their classic collection of fairytales, Children's and Household Tales.
Synopsis of the Brave Little Tailor
It is a story about a tailor who is annoyed by the flies that settle on his food and so he swats them and kills seven with one blow. Excited by his success the tailor makes a belt that reads “Seven with One Blow.” The belt was beautiful and the tailor felt that he was ready to move up in the world and set out to seek his fortune. His journey leads him to the King’s palace. The King is intrigued and misled by the claim and offers to make the tailor a commander in his army.
The tailor accepts. However, his fellow soldiers are frightened by the possibilities of such a terrible warrior and convince the King to get rid of him. The King charges the tailor with an impossible challenge and a reward. If the tailor succeeds, he will gain the King’s daughter in marriage and half the Kingdom. The tailor accepts. Great deeds are done and, as this is a fairy tale, the tailor succeeds at everything.
Fine Art Quality Illustrations
If you are interested in giving your children, a foundation in classic literature the story itself is reason enough to buy the book. However, if you are interested in art then this book is a necessary addition to your library. It is illustrated by Olga Dugina and Andrej Dugin in a most fascinating and detailed style.
About the Illustrators
The illustrations tell the story but they also lead beyond the story into a bizarre and fascinating world of fantasy. The artists' note gives us an idea about the scope of this book.
It took us six and a half years to complete the illustrations for this book. To help the illustration process, we used a lot of visual material from museums and libraries, as well as those from our own dreams, and many photographs and preparatory drawings were made. The original paintings were done in watercolor, but we sometimes used gouache to correct our mistakes. One of our main goals in making this book was to create a fantasy world that would encourage the reader to write or visualize his or her own stories.
The illustrations have been likened to those of Hieronymus Bosch and the comparison is valid. The style of Bosch’s work was intricate and fanciful and so is the style of Olga and Andre’s paintings. It is said of Bosch that “Bosch works in Allegory's own realm” (Ward, 1994). Olga and Andre work in fantasy’s own realm.
The Brave Little Tailor, retold and illustrated by Olga Dugina and Andrej Dugin (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000, ISBN 0-8109-4113-0)
For another picture book based on a classic fairy tale, check out Paul O. Zelinsky's Rapunzel.
