AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT:
From the Brothers Grimm
by Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by Daniel San Souci
August House, Sept. 25, 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0874838336 (hc)
ISBN-10: 0874838339 (hc)
Full color illustrations.
Ages: 4-8
Reading level: "M"
Grade level: 2-3
Character Education: Fairness, Responsibility, Sharing.
32 pages
$16.95 (U.S.A. hc)

When Mother and Father Bear go off to look after Grandmother Bear, they leave twins Jonas and Juniper to take care of the house and field chores, warning them to beware of thieves. In this retelling of a classic story the award-winning Brothers San Souci (Robert and Daniel) take on the Brothers Grimm as Jonas and Juniper go through many misadventures at home before having an encounter with thieves who are no match for the simple, but good-hearted twins.

Selected for inclusion on Elementary School List of California Collections

National Parenting Publication Award: Gold Winner 2008

Reviews
"K-Gr 4 –Lively, comical illustrations enhance the abundant droll humor in this noodle-head tale that plays off the Grimm Brothers'. The expressive, lucent watercolors highlighted with Prismacolor pencils portray the foolish escapades adeptly, and the anthropomorphized animal characters evocatively represent human characteristics and foibles. . . [T]he waggish humor provides a good opportunity for a dramatic read-aloud." –Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA, School Library Journal

"The Grimm Brothers' tale of Clever Elsie is set here on a farm, where twin anthropomorphic bears Jonas and Juniper are left in charge while their parents go to care for their sick grandmother. They are warned not to touch the money hidden in the cellar. Careless Jonas leaves the oxen alone plowing the field, where they make a mess. Equally thoughtless Juniper leaves the sausages cooking while she goes to draw some cider, and then leaves the keg open to chase the dog that has run away with the meat. Meanwhile, the cider has run all over the floor. To "tidy up," the witless girl dumps flour all over it. Meanwhile, Jonas tries to rescue the oxen that have fallen into the pond. They break the barrier open, causing the fields to flood. Silly Juniper then loses all their cheeses. When peddlers arrive selling pots, she lets them "touch" the money in the cellar, which of course they steal. How the foolish pair manage to catch the thieves and fix everything before their parents return makes for a humorous ending. The front-end pages show a street scene with the story title on a theater marquee, while the ones at the end show the characters performing on the stage. San Souci's watercolors with Prismacolor pencil highlights emphasize character and dramatic action. The naive youngsters are a contrast with the scurvy villains, fox and pig, while all are naturalistically attired in a country setting." -- Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz, Children's Literature

"The talented San Souci brothers take on the Brothers Grimm's 'Clever Elsie,' and the result is an entirely new story which, though it retains the folksy quality and quirky absurdity of the original, recasts the characters, adds a moral and tidies up the ambiguous ending. When twin bear cubs Jonas and Juniper are temporarily put in charge of the family farm, chaos quickly ensues. Many of the twins' problems—and, ironically, the solutions to those problems—come from taking their parents' directions too literally. For example, they are able to retrieve the family fortune only because, warned to guard the cottage door, they take it with them as they hunt down the thieves, and the door winds up knocking said thieves senseless. By story's end, the cubs have repaired all the damage they've caused and discovered in the process that things go much more smoothly when they put their heads together. Daniel San Souci's detailed watercolor illustrations contribute to the quaint feel of this effort and lend it a bit of welcome emotional depth as well." (Picture book. 5-10) -- Kirkus Reviews

"[A] retelling of a Brothers Grimm tale with wonderful artwork." -- Alan Caruba, Bookviews

"Daniel San Souci has filled the book with charming illustrations. The book is geared for children ages 4-8 years of age, but it certainly can be told to older children. I recommend it highly for your storytelling time." -- Muriel Feldshuh, Up-Front with Storytelling