Book review: Little Long-Nose

I couple days ago I discovered a wonderful new book on the University Book Store bargain tables. It's a classic fairy tale originally published in 1827 by Wilhelm Hauff called Little Long-Nose. It is a beautiful edition illustrated by Laura Stoddart, slim hardcover book (5x8) just over 90 pages, put out by Candlewick Press Treasures. Anything by Candlewick Press Treasures will be excellent. Also in this reprinted collection is Elsie Piddock Skips In Her Sleep by Eleanor Farjeon, The Lord Fish by Walter de la Mare, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling. I just read Little Long-Nose in one setting. It reads aloud well, is extremely well written, and an unusual tale...
From the inside jacket...

Being the extraordinary
tale of a bewitched boy
with a long nose and a
small body who becomes
a great cook. But will he
find the secret ingredient
to set himself free?

This amazingly gifted writer published this book just before his death...ten days shy of twenty-five. Below is a sample of his writing...

There he caught sight of a
cupboard that he had never noticed
before. It's door was slightly ajar
and Jacob saw that it was full of
boxes which gave off a strong but
pleasant smell. He opened one of
them and found a herb of strange
shape and colour. It had blue-green
leaves and a red flower with yellow
edges. He noticed at once that the
flower had the same smell as the
soup the old woman had cooked
when he first came. The scent was
so strong it made him sneeze. He
sneezed and sneezed and sneezed--
until he woke up. (pages 22-3)

This book is truly a treasure for all ages. It seems sad to me that it did not sell well, but I was happy to pay the bargain price of $1.14.