Shoemaker and the Elves

by Adrienne Adams

A group of conspiring elves sneak into a poor shoemaker’s shop to finish his work during the nighttime hours and help his business become successful.

Each night, the old shoemaker puts out all of the materials he needs for the next day’s work. The leather, the thread, and the soles are laid out nicely on the workbench in his shop in the evening so they’re ready for the day ahead.

But something strange is going on… Every morning, where the old shoemaker left the materials, a new pair of shoes now takes their place. Determined to find out who is making the shoes in the night, the old shoemaker and his wife set out to solve the mystery together.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

About the author

Adrienne Adams (February 10, 1906 - December 3, 2002) was a children's book illustrator. She won two Caldecott Honors (in 1960 and 1962) and in 1973 she was awarded the Rutgers Award for overall contributions to children’s literature. In 1977, she won a University of Southern Mississippi Medallion.

She was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas and grew up in Oklahoma She obtained a BA at Stephens College (who awarded her the Alumnae Achievement Award in 1964) then attended the University of Missouri and moved to New York in 1929 to study at the American School of Design and until 1949 she was a free-lance designer of displays, murals, textiles, greeting cards etc. She married children's book writer John Anderson in 1935 and in 1942 illustrated one of his books Bag of Smoke to begin her career as an illustrator becoming full-time in 1952. In total she illustrated more than 30 books, from contemporary authors such as Rumer Godden, Irwin Shapiro and Aileen Fisher to the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly bare bones retelling of this tale.

The pictures are okay, but I didn't feel like they warranted much attention.

I hadn't noticed it before, but the moral of this story appears to be "don't try to be nice to the people who are helping you until you are rich."

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the old fashioned illustrations in this version.

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for the edition adapted and illustrated by Adrienne Adams.

[Laurie Trout]

RL: 3.2
Lexile: 575
Fountas & Pinnell: N

This is one of my favorite tales by The Brothers Grimm. The shoemaker knows he has little to work with yet he goes to bed knowing what he has to do tomorrow and does not worry about it. He is astonished and pleased when he wakes to find a splendid pair of shoes waiting for him. When the shoemaker and his wife stay up to see who is helping them they are grateful and think of a way to repay the kindness.

Classroom Use:
Work Ethic: The shoemaker knew he had little to work with, but did what he could and didn't let it bother him.
Kindness Re-payed: The shoemaker and his wife re-payed a kindness by figuring out what the elves needed.

Writing Traits:
Ideas: The story stays true to the main character of the shoemaker. The elves are brought in just at the end, but the story is about the shoemaker.
Organization: We start the story seeing how poor the shoemaker is. By the end of the story his wealth has accumulated and he was successful for the rest of his life.
Presentation: I love the pictures in this story. The shoemaker and his wife have pleasant faces and are happy even though times are tough. The pictures of the elves dancing around int heir new clothes is priceless.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:
a great retelling but we just prefer the Paul Galdone version