Mossycoat

by Philip Pullman

A revived version of this well-known story, which has been written especially for today's children. It is one of a number of stories, within a series, that have been rewritten and re-illustrated by a selection of award-winning authors and illustrators to celebrate the 1998 National Year of Reading.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Collections, Fairy Tales

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 1998

About the author

Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.

Reviews

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

brief synopsis:
A widow sets up her daughter for life with magical equipment.

setting:
most probably England

named personalities:
Mossycoat aka Bossyboots - a widow's daughter

This is England's version of Cinderella.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

An English traditional tale, a version of the "Cinderella" story. It was originally collected by folklorist Katherine M Briggs from a gypsy woman, Taimi Boswell. In this story Mossycoat's mother is the magical helper, and Mossycoat's own cleverness and resilience as well as her beauty and goodness win the wealthy young man. This is beautifully retold by Philip Pullman and can be read for free here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/...

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent Rroma/Romani retelling if Cinderella. Mossycoat (unlike Cinderella) seems to have much more sense of self and her mother is the magician versus the traditional fairy godmother that we all know so well. It’s very, very sweet and very reminiscent of old time fairy tales. I enjoyed it so much. Not only to learn to what were typical Romani fairy tales, but the plot line was so cutely webbed. You can read it for free via the Guardian.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’re going to love this – Philip Pullman is a genius, and his take on the classic fairy tale will keep you hooked until the very last page. Read it to your kids, read it to yourself or read it to your grandma – who cares? Just read it!