The Red Heels

by Robert D. San Souci, Gary Kelley (Illustrator)

In a tale inspired by colonial New England folklore, Jonathan mends a young woman's shoes with red heels, knowing that this is a sign of a witch but falling instantly in love with her, and sets out to follow her as she flies into the night sky with the newly repaired shoes once again on her feet.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Robert Daniel San Souci (October 10, 1946 – December 19, 2014) was a multiple award-winning children's book author, who resided in San Francisco, California. He often worked with his brother, Daniel San Souci, a children's book illustrator. He was a consultant to Disney Studios and was instrumental in the production of the film Mulan, for which he wrote the story. He studied folklore in graduate school. He died after suffering a head injury while falling from a high height in San Francisco in December 2014. He was only 68 years old.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

An itinerant cobbler in Colonial New England, Jonathan Dowse would travel from one settlement to the next, making shoes for all of the residents. When he finds himself lost in the woods late one night, he is glad to come to a neat cottage, and even more glad to meet its owner, the beautiful Rebecca Wyse. Her request that he fix her shoes causes him some worry, as their red heels are a sure sign of witchcraft, but he agrees anyway, having already fallen in love. Sure enough, he eventually discovers that the shoes are magical, and that Rebecca uses them to dance through the sky during the night. He joins her for a time, but misses his work as a shoemaker, and eventually leaves. The next fall, Rebecca finds him in nearby Indian Cove, and indicates that she is willing to give up her red heels. But is it necessary...?

From a historical perspective, The Red Heels isn't particularly believable, given that it is set in Colonial New England, and fear of witchcraft would have been quite strong in that time and place. Would Jonathan have been able to overcome his fear of Rebecca's magical flying, in the way depicted? Even if he loved her, would he be willing to join in, given the religious beliefs common during that period, and the likely fact that he would have been taught that such activities could lead to eternal damnation? On the other hand, this is clearly an original fairy-tale, or work of fantasy, so if one can suspend one's disbelief regarding magical shoes and clamshells, why not suspend one's disbelief regarding the historical unlikeliness here? Moreover, the obsession with witchcraft in this particular cultural setting, makes it an interesting backdrop for such a witchy story. For me, I found Robert D. San Souci's narrative here engaging, and had no issue with the historical milieu. The accompanying artwork from Gary Kelley is lovely - dark-toned, full of mystery and quite expressive. Recommended to fairy-tale lovers and picture-book readers who enjoy atmospheric witchy tales.

[Samra · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun legend

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of transfer from hard copy to digital made a bit harder to enjoy the illustrations, but I loved the delicate tale. It really seemed rooted in the time period.

[Maddy Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was younger and I never forgot it. Love it.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about love and dancing. 🫶

The art is like fuzzy paintings

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated!

[enlam]

they had me in the first half ngl

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is cute. An interesting tale of the colonial days with a twist of (good) magic in it. The love story is not overwhelming, so I can't hear the kids saying, "Eww!" But the importance of love, marriage, and family still permeate at the end.

[Kami Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Picture Books* This is a very involving love story in the form of a picture book. The shoemaker falls in love with the witch, and they both learn to sacrifice to be together. It is completely beautiful.

[Kara]

To be paired with THE SCARLET LETTER. Good for prediction strategies.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, though it lazily avoids the obvious questions of how this witchcraft would be tolerated. Instead we get a "happily ever after" that feels wrong.

[Heather Toombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! I am a sucker for a love story, especially one with a comprise that brings people together.