#980 of 1001 · April 7, 2023

Though we suffer impossible trials, though we sing outside the door of our lost love, will it be enough? Will goodness and courage prevail? The Black Bull of Norroway by Charlotte Huck and Anita Lobel may yet give us hope. A woman with three daughters listens as they imagine their future husbands. The youngest, Peggy Ann, nonchalantly declares that she would be happy to marry the Black Bull of Norroway. When she goes to visit a wise woman down the road, the fearsome creature himself arrives to collect her. He takes her to visit his three royal brothers, and each one gives her a magical piece of fruit. Finally, Peggy Ann pulls a thorn out of the bull’s hoof, which returns him to his human form as the Duke of Norroway. He enters a strange grotto for a fated battle with an entity known as the Guardian of the Glen. Peggy Ann, against the Duke’s orders, jumps up from the rock in excitement at his victory and the two are separated by a fell power. The maiden must serve a blacksmith for seven years, and in return he forges a pair of iron boots that she uses to climb a glassy hill. She exchanges jewelry taken from her marvelous fruit for the chance to sing outside the Duke’s door at night; he eventually awakens and the two are reunited. Huck’s rollicking text and Lobel’s bright illustrations in watercolor and black pen bring the adventure easily to life. A note for folklore enthusiasts: This tale first appeared in print as “The Red Bull of Norroway” in Popular Rhymes of Scotland by Robert Chambers (1842). #black #bull #apple #pear #plum #blacksmith #witch #daughter #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks