ONE EYE, TWO EYES, THREE EYES

Bibliography:

Kimmel, Eric A. (reteller) 1996. One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes.

Dirk Zimmer, ill. New York. Holiday House.

ISBN 0-8234-1183-4

Plot Summary:

            One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes is a Hutzel tale retold by Eric Kimmel from a story originally told to him by his grandmother. It is the story of Larissa, a young, beautiful girl who because of her father, went into the forest to live with a three eyed witch and her ugly daughters. Larissa had a magic goat who was her only friend in the woods.

The witch and her daughters treated Larissa abominably and made her work hard. When the witch discovered that the goat was helping Larissa with her work, she killed the goat and let Larissa have the hooves and horns which she buried in the forest and watered with her tears. Overnight a beautiful apple tree grew and when no one but Larissa could reach the apples to give to the Prince, he fell in love with her and took her away from the witch. This made the witch so mad that she struck the tree with a stick. When she did, lightning struck the tree and the witch and her daughters were never seen again.

Critical Analysis:

This story seems to be a cross between Beauty and the Beast, in the way that the father makes a deal which costs him his daughter and Cinderella, in the way that the witch and her daughters are cruel to Larissa and make her do all the work. As in both the stories mentioned above, this tale continues with the theme that good triumphs over evil and everyone lives happily ever after (except for the evil ones). The magical aspects of the story such as the witch, the goat and the tree further adds to the style of this traditional tale.

The illustrations of David Zimmel are primitive yet truly complement the story. The drawings of the witch and her daughters truly illustrate how ugly they are. The reader has no trouble imagining their ugliness and hatefulness. The book is also illustrated in color with the exception of one illustration depicting Larissa and her goat in black and white. This extends the words on the page which are “Little Goat, my only friend. Will my sorrows never end?” This stark illustration in black and white seems to portray the despair that Larissa felt.

Connections:

            Considering that there is more than one version of the story, a comparison between Kimmel’s version and Aaron Shepard’s version would be an excellent extension activity. Another comparison activity would be to compare this story with Cinderella.

Other tales retold by Eric A. Kimmel:

            The Story of Esther:A Purim Tale

            The Spider’s Gift: A Ukranian Christmas Story

The Gingerbread Man

Reviews:

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: “Great storytelling! The witches are truly ugly!”

BOOKLIST: “In a useful author's note, Kimmel talks about his sources and about the universal theme of the person who makes a foolish vow and must give up a beloved child.”