The Gold Miner's Daughter: A Melodramatic Fairy Tale

This book is AWESOME! I work at an elementary school, and all kids loved to interact with the story. fantastic read aloud.

Our four year old daughter asks for this book again and again. The story is fun, and the interaction is great.

This is destined to become a classic! The Gold Miner's Daughter, as you might note from the cover art, is set up as an old-time picture show or theater production that is cross between an old time blustery tall tale and the Dudley-Do-Right/Dastardly Bank Manager saga (sans Dudley of course, this tough little lady doesn't need any many to rescue her from the dastardly banker - yea that's right I said it...he's DASTARDLY)!! This plucky hybrid goes even further with the amusement and nostalgia in giving a nod to several of the "biggies" in fairy tale stardom (Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Rumplestiltskin, Rapunzel, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Sleeping Beauty). We start out with the typical slick banker going to foreclose on Gracie and Pa's mine...but he'll give them till sundown or else he's taking the mine AND Gracie as his bride...and she wants absolutely nothing to do with that, so she sets out on a march through town to try to find someone who can help her find the gold they need before sunset. This story builds to a nice climax and while Gracie doesn't wind up tied up on the train tracks, you might be surprised who does! Will Gracie find the gold in time? Will she be forced to marry the dastardly banker? You'll have to read to find out...and I don' think you'll be disappointed! This is quite fun for parents and children...it's got the charm of a tall tale (complete with amazing exaggeration)...this is especially apparent in the illustrations, they are magnificent; the drama of the Dudley-Do-Right saga; the charm of a fairy tale; and best of all...audience participation. Yep, that's right, this book comes with a sequence of 4 symbols that are cues for the listeners (for this could only work as a read-aloud with an audience) to chime in (my favorite is the banker's oily handlebar mustache - boo, hiss). Simply put...this book is a storyteller's dream...your kids will love this!! A+