Godfather Death

by Sally Nicholls, Júlia Sardà (illustrator)

A soul-stirring reimagined Grimm tale by award-winning author Sally Nicholls and hauntingly illustrated by Júlia Sardà which will spellbind and thrill readers of all ages.

When a poor fisherman chooses Death to be godfather to his son, he’s sure he’s made a good choice – for surely there’s no man more honest than Death? At the christening, Death gives the fisherman a gift that seems at first to be the key to the family’s fortune, but when greed overcomes the fisherman, he learns that nobody can truly cheat Death . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Death, Fiction, Middle Grade, Fairy Tales

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2023

About the author

Sally Nicholls is a prize-winning British children's author. She was born and grew up in Stockton-on-Tees. On finishing school, Nicholls chose to travel around the world. Her first novel was Ways to Live Forever.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling. Positively. A retelling of a Grimm’s tale, which I now want to find and read, this is an amazing recreation, whatever the original was. A poor fisherman asks Death to be godfather to his infant son, wanting to give his son something and knowing Death to be an honest man. Death in his turn to return the favor, offers the poor fisherman a gift which will enable him to grow rich using Death as a predictor for the sick; will this one die or not? It certainly works, until one day when the king is dying and wants a doctor who will cure him. Anyone who fails, however, will lose his life. The poor fisherman turned doctor/healer then realizes he got more than he bargained for and tries to escape his fate. But can anyone escape Death, the only perfectly honest man? The tri-color illustrations perfectly complement the story. Shivers.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

illustrations are epic

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale Der Gevatter Tod (Godfather Death) is a chilling tale of greed in the midst of plenty. When a fisherman asks Death to be his sons godfather he is give a gift: the ability to see if a person will live or die. The fisherman becomes very wealthy; but he decides to try to 'trick' Death - a very poor choice. The illustrations by Júlia Sardà are magnificent!

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for the edition retold by Sally Nicholls and illustrated by Julia Sarda.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reimagining of a Grimm fairytale, and I got to the end and went “gosh, that was grim” (the irony is not lost on me, ha). Absolutely enthralling illustrations which just add to the atmospheric, dark and spell-binding story of greed, honesty and desperation!

[Ileana (The Tiniest Book Club) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Júlia Sardà reigns supreme on my picture book bookcase right now. Someone recommended "Godfather Death" to me when I gushed over "The Queen in the Cave" (Sardà's debut as illustrator and author) and, what can I say? I loved it!

"Godfather Death" reimagines the Grimms' Tale "Der Gevatter Tod". A poor fisherman is looking for a godfather for his newborn. After turning down Father God as well as the Devil because of their dishonesty, the fisherman accepts Death, "the only honest man in all the world" as his child's godfather. Death brings a gift to the christening: a bottle of medicine that will turn the poor fisherman into a wealthy doctor. There's a trick involved, though, and soon, the new medical professional is caught up in a real mess. No happy end here!

The text by Sally Nicholls is clever and funny, perfect for reading aloud. Júlia Sardà's illustrations are ingenious: held in black, white, green, yellow and hues of red, detailed and overstylized, they look just like medieval gobelins. Incredibly fresh and gorgeous!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Sarda strikes again with her wonderful illustrations that make this unnerving story absolutely whimsical. This is technically a kids picture book, and yet, it is anything but. It is a little relic from medieval times with a darkly twisted tale about selfishness and the trouble with messing with the reaper that somehow manages to be quite funny at times as well

[Ken Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, but don't feel quite like I have an exact pin on what the moral of the story is. Don't mess with death? Don't make deals with death?

The doctor section of this story reminds me of Jim Henson's The Storyteller episode "The Soldier & Death". I wonder where the story of Death being at the feet or head of the bed comes from

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda your basic bitch fairytale
really liked the color palette and art style, wish that there were more illustrations/they were more substantial on the page
but Death is always a vibe

[Paper Ghost ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet with a dash of grim. Also the illustrations were beautiful.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most metal picture books I have ever read

[mariaaaaaa b · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow it would be such a bummer if this happened to me. illustrations were gawgeous

[Krystel Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a dark and twisted children's book! This is a retelling of the 19th century Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The art is exceptional. Great book.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ILLUSTRATIONSSSSSS so so gorgeous, paired with a great story!! julia sarda you have my whole hearttt

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a poor peasant man who searches for an honest godfather for his son and the consequences of greed and selfishness. The illustrations are magnificent and really work to create the atmosphere of the tale. It is a darker fairy tale with no happy ending so I would definitely recommend it for an "older" elementary crowd.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what buddy was thinking--asking death to be his child's godfather because death is "honest"? And then the guy acts all shocked when the arrangement backfires in a grisly and ironic fashion. Just ask a friend or relative next time, pal!

Cool illustrations though.

[Kierston Foutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momento mori.

[Sarah AK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! You can't cheat death...

[Sonia Di Pietra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un pescatore, la morte che fa da madrina e una promessa da rispettare. ( il pensiero va ovviamente a Saramago)
Ps:unica pecca troppo piccolo

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, when I was a child, I loved the series, The Storyteller featuring John Hurt. Using many folktales from all over the world, they created fabulous stories, ones which have stayed with me for the rest of my life. One of the stories that I remember was called The Soldier and Death, and this book by Nicholls brought some of my memories of that tale back.
The book is illustrated by Julia Sarda, and the illustrations perfectly bring images to the words within. A children's book with Death as a main character may seem a bit strange, given that this is a book for younger readers, but I think it is perfect. A good, fair man was what the poor fisherman was looking for; he found one. But this is a cautionary tale about trying to cheat your way around things. With guidance, children could explore what this book is trying to say, and why it is important.

[Flavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found it because I was enamoured by Júlia Sardà's illustrations and I am not disappointed. Beautiful work as per usual! and, on top of that, a wonderful story of Grimm brothers retold by Sally Nicholls. Even more twisted and dark here, such pleasure. Comes with the classical fairytale déjà vu making you feel like you knew the story already and maybe I did? Some parts of it at least.

I enjoy the humorous idea of christening your kid and refusing the God to be the Godfather. (Ironic, isn't it) But it is true, the God is not fair.

The ending is more realistic than the original one, yet I find myself wishing it was more fleshed out. I feel like the deception aspect translated better in the Grimms' story (cure the king or die makes it seem like the king is a brute therefore... not worth saving), this is the only drawback.

[Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

don’t really vibe with the heeheehaha tone the author decided to go with but the illustrations are drop dead gorgeous

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, horror story about a man who chooses Death as a godfather for his newborn son. The newly-minted godfather gives the new father a gift he can't refuse, but it comes with it's own perils.

This is a retelling of one of the Grimm fairy tales with an interesting Asian motif in the illustrations. It is recommended for ages 7-12. It may be scary for younger ones!

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a book. What I love about fairytales is how whimsy but also weird, dark and atmospheric they can be and this hit the spot.
The vivid art style gave this story even more life and character.

[Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un conte magnifiquement illustré par Julia Sardà. Très fan de cette collection!

[emtortles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo stunning omg I’m obsessed with the illustrations in this. A grim(m) retelling indeed

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art. I think readers who didn't know it's a retelling of the Brothers Grimm will be a bit weirded out.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sick. All around. The writing is fantastic and the illustrations are incredible.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retelling of a Grimms' fairy tale. Amazing story and illustrations.

[Emma Valieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un conte d'autrefois aux illustrations de style médiéval très immersives. Un bel objet !