Gorgeous. It had one of the catchiest first sentences I've ever read. ( )

398.2

This was an interesting book about making deals with the devil and how many people will not come out ahead. In this case, the man is stuck wearing a rotting bear skin for seven years in exchange for having all the money he could ever need. He helps poor people and holds up his end of the deal with the devil so that in the end, he will leave the bear skin behind and continue having all the money he could ever want. He also ends up with a bride in the end. ( )

This is the tale of a soldier who has lost everything to war. When the war was over, and the man was wandering through the woods, he meets the devil. With no food in his stomach and his clothes in tatters, the devil makes him an offer. If he could wander the world for seven years wearing the skin of a bear, without washing or cutting his nails or hair, without praying, he would have all the gold he needed. His pockets would never be empty. If he could do this for seven years he would be rich forever and his soul would be his. If he could not do these things his soul would belong to the devil for eternity.

At first his life was find, but as he got dirtier and looked less like a man he was shunned by others. But one day, he stopped to give money to a poor woman and he learned the power of giving.

This is a well told take with powerful messages of good vs. evil, and the power of self-forgetting and giving to others. The dark illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment to the tale. ( )

The illustrations in this re-telling of this Brothers Grimm tale are amazing and capture the story perfectly. It re-minded me of the scene in the seventh Harry Potter movie that re-told the deathly hallows tale, which is my favorite scene in all the movies. The colors are dark with very selective use of color. The tale is very captivating and contains a good vs evil plot where kindness prevails. ( )