Pampalche of the Silver Teeth by Mirra Ginsburg, Rocco Negri - First Edition Children's Books, Kids Book - Vintage Book, Folk Tales, 1970s

First edition of Pampalche of the Silver Teeth, translated by Mirra Ginsburg, illustrated by Rocco Negri.

Translated and edited by Mirra Ginsburg. Woodcuts by Rocco Negri. First edition, 1976. Crown Publishers.

"A long time ago, in the woods where the Mari people lived, there was an old hunter. His wife was dead, his older daughter had gone to live elsewhere, and the only joy of his life was his young daughter, lovely as the moon, with teeth as white as silver. The people sang songs about her and called her Pampalche of the Silver Teeth. The old man hunted in the woods and fished in the lake; his daughter gathered berries in the forest, and that was how they lived. And though she was alone all day, Pampalche was never lonely, for all the beasts and birds in the woods were her friends."

One day, Pampalche's father, while hunting in the woods, stops at a lake for a drink of water and is pulled in by the Master of the Waters, who makes him a deal: his life for his daughter. Her father relents, though heartbroken at the pain and hardship he's caused her, but when he breaks the news she hatches a plan to escape to her sister's before the wedding can take place. She disguises herself and covers her teeth with pitch, and sets off to the high mountain where her sister lives, out of reach of the Master of the Waters. Along the way, she gets past wedding guests on their way to the wedding but is recognized by Voover-Coove the witch. Pampalche climbs the tree and calls out to her sister to save her, and the sister tells her to wait as she weaves a silken ladder for Pampalche to use to climb the mountain. The witch attempts to cut down the tree and drag the girl back to the monster. But her animal friends intervene to prevent the witch from cutting down the tree, and her sister finishes the silken ladder, and Pampalche makes her escape.

Mirra Ginsburg (1909 - 2000) was a Russian-American translator of Russian literature and folk tales and a children's author.

Rocco Negri (1932- ) is a well-known and accomplished woodcut artist who's illustrated many children's books, including The Giant Under the Snow, The One Bad Thing About Father, Toto, and The Legs of the Moon.

Etsy.com/shop/TheCharmedBookshop
Visit TheCharmedBookshop.com for more first edition children's books.

Condition*: Very Good/Very Good. Dust jacket: Small closed tear on the back, bottom edge; slightly bumped at the head and tail of the spine; mild shelf wear.

* Based on guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.