"Man or bear? When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, the devil, who wraps the soldier in the armor of a dead bear’s skin, fills its pockets with gold, and makes a dangerous and horrible wager. An unforgettable retelling of a classic Grimm tale, THE BEARSKINNER is a story about the struggle between the two sides of our selves, and the heroic strength it takes to claim a victory." (goodread review)
Here is another review by Catholic All Year: My favorite children’s book is a retelling of a Grimm’s fairy tale called The Bearskinner. In it, a soldier makes a deal with the devil wherein the soldier has to wear a decaying bearskin and in exchange his pockets will be full of money for the rest of his life. To win, he can’t remove it, explain, kill himself, or pray for seven years. Of course the benefit of the money is overshadowed by the isolation and he despairs . . . until he realizes that he can give his pocket money to the poor and ask them to pray for him, since he can’t pray for himself. There’s a beautiful illustration in the book that shows the prayers as butterflies protecting him from the darkness.
No comments:
Post a Comment