Shabby Sunday: Hans in Luck by Paul Galdone – 1979 (Brothers Grimm) #ChildrensBooks #VintageBooks #ShabbySunday

On By MischenkoIn Children's Books, Fairy Tales, Reads, Shabby Sunday, Vintage Books

Shabby Sunday

I have a bunch of old vintage books and one of my plans when I first started blogging was to do a post every now and then sharing one of my cherished vintage books. Then I thought there might be other book bloggers out there that have some vintage books, heirlooms, or maybe some old books from childhood that they might want to share. I decided to start a meme titled ‘Shabby Sunday’ for those who would like to participate and share some of their old vintage books. Do you have some shabby books you’d like to share? If so, please feel free to participate as anyone can join. Feel free to use my meme image if you’d like to. If you decide to do this meme, please consider linking back to me so that I can see the book you’re sharing.

Last time I shared:

Cabbage Moon 

Today’s Shabby Share:

Hans in Luck by Paul Galdone

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Hans in Luck is a children’s book I found at a sale many years ago. It became a favorite right away and now remains on our shelf. This fairy tale is German in origin and was recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. This is a retelling that’s simplified, but the author stays true to the original.

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Our copy is hardcover with a date of 1979. It’s in fairly good condition with clean pages and bright illustrations.

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The tale begins with a man named Hans who’s been working for seven years for his master. Hans feels that it’s time to depart and visit his mother, so his master gives him a lump of gold the size of his head and sees him on his way.

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Along the journey, Hans meets a man on a horse. Already burdened by the heaviness of the gold, he trades it for the man’s horse. Both are now happy on their way until the horse begins to gallop, and Hans unable to control it, finds himself on the ground.

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Along comes a farmer who luckily catches the horse and is willing to trade his cow for it. Now…Hans sees this as a pretty sweet deal because he’ll have cheese and butter for eating, and he’ll be rid of the horse.

“Now I shall always have butter and cheese for my bread, and milk to drink when I’m thirsty. What more can I wish for?”

Hans soon realizes that milking a cow isn’t his cup of tea either. As he walks along the path to see his mother, he makes multiple trades, feeling lucky with each new acquisition. He continuously gets taken advantage of by every stranger he meets.

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By the end of the story, Hans has acquired a grinding stone which is so heavy it hurts his back to carry it. When he loses it in a well, he realizes that he’s never been so lucky to be empty-handed.

I chose this book for today because gold is symbolic to St. Patrick’s Day. The old legend is that if you can locate the end of a rainbow, you’ll find a leprechaun there with a pot of gold, and the gold will be yours to keep. Hans in Luck (to me) teaches a lesson that gold, or other material things for that matter, might not be all what they’re cracked up to be.

Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

  • Hardcover: 40 Pages
  • Publisher: Parents Magazine Press  (1979)
  • ISBN-10: 0-8193-1011-5

Other blogs who have participated in Shabby Sunday:

Nicky@ An Introverted Bookworm

Claire@ Brizzle Lass Books

Author Didi Oviatt

Sassy Brit@ Alternative-Read

Brittany @ PerfectlyTolerable

Shari @ Sharisakurai.com

Jennifer @ Jennifertarheelreader.com

Lisa @ Way Too Fantasy

*Please stop by these blogs to check out all of their beautiful shabby shares!*

Thanks for checking out Shabby Sunday! Have you read this book? Do you have any shabby books to share? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

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♥️ Mischenko

27 thoughts on “Shabby Sunday: Hans in Luck by Paul Galdone – 1979 (Brothers Grimm) #ChildrensBooks #VintageBooks #ShabbySunday”

  2. starjustin

    Great story! I agree. I think there is a good lesson to be told here. There were times for me I was happier when I had nothing. Nice St. Patty’s Day post Jen. 💚

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    2. Scarlett Readz and Runz

      So lovely. I actually know this book in German “Hans im Glueck”. Have not seen or heard of it since childhood. Growing up, I took the Grimm tales for granted. Now they are more of a treasure!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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  5. I remember reading that book many, many years ago, though I don’t believe i actually owned the copy. But the photos bring back memories, especially Hans looking at the gold piece the size of his head. Wonderful post as always, Jen! And a very happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. How neat! I’m not sure how popular the book was, but there’s only 18 total ratings on Goodreads now. Not totally surprising with its age though. Paul Galdone has written and illustrated many children’s books and I didn’t even realize it. Thanks, Vanessa! 😉 You too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. David R. Dowdy

    Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

    Very good share. The story reminds me of the sayings “be careful what you wish for” and “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”.

    What word did a child print on the upper left hand side of the cover?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, David! You too. I was just thinking about you the other day. Happy to hear from you.

      I totally agree with your thoughts on the book. To answer your question: I’m not sure it’s a word on the cover and looks more like letter practice lol. I guess it could be a last name too. Take care! 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. Happy St. Patrick’s Day Jenn and all your family. A cute book. I am not familiar with this one at all. I love the illustrations. Yes, I know many people who have a lot of money and are not happy at all. Gold is not all it is cracked up to be. Nice share.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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