Saturday, March 29, 2008

Louhi Witch of North Farm

Retold by Toni De Gerez

Illustrations: Barbara Cooney

Genre: myth/legend

Summary: This story is taken from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala and tells of the struggle of light and dark and the need for order in the primeval world. When the witch, Louhi, steals the sun and the moon, all chaos breaks out. It is Vainemoinen the Knower and Seppo the Smith who carry out their cosmic duty of returning the moon and sun, so order can be restored in the world. The story is told with great beauty and the pictures are stunning. Children will enjoy its magic and lyrical quality.

Grade level: Kindergarten through second grade would very much enjoy this story, with the younger children loving it read aloud and the older ones reading it themselves. The fact that Finland is in the far north and has long cold winters would be an excellent and interesting point to bring up also, complete with a peek on the globe or map.

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