Three Sacks of Truth: a Story from France by Eric Kimmel

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric.  1993.  THREE SACKS OF TRUTH: A STORY FROM FRANCE. Ill. by Robert Rayevsky.  New York: Holiday House.  ISBN 082340921X

2.   PLOT SUMMARY

This story is an adaptation of  the French folktale entitled THE THREE MAY PEACHES.  In Kimmel's adaptation, a dishonest king who loves peaches has promised his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who brings him the perfect peach.  A poor widow has a peach tree that blossoms once every ten years.  This year, the peach tree has produced three perfect peaches, one for each of her sons. As the first and second sons, Pierre and Pascal, embark to present their peach to the king, respectively, they are met by a lowly stranger who asks what they have hidden in their baskets.  After each one lies to the old woman, the men are shocked to find the peach has transformed into the objects they lied to the old woman about.  When Petit Jean, the wisest and kindest of the three widow's sons, meets the old woman on his journey, he answers her truthfully and as a reward, she gives him a silver flute.  She instructs him to use the flute should the king prove devious.  After the king exclaims that Petite Jean has, in fact, brought him the perfect peach, the king adds a new condition to marrying his daughter: Petit Jean must keep the king's herd of 10,000 rabbits altogether for four days, without losing a single one.  To accomplish this, Petit Jean uses the silver flute to gather all the rabbits for the king's daily count.  The king is not amused and resorts to deception in trying to lure a rabbit from the herd.  However, the king's trickery is met by Petit Jean outwitting the disguises of the princess, the queen, and even the king, and having them each perform humiliating tasks.  After successfully keeping all 10,000 rabbits together, Petit Jean must present three sacks of truth to the royal court before he is given the princess' hand in marriage.  One by one, he reveals the princess and queen's embarrassing tasks, and as he is about to reveal the king's, the king quickly interrupts Petit Jean and finally gives him his daughter's hand in marriage.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This folktale adaptation has many of the characteristics found in traditional tales.  To set up the good versus evil conflict, the antagonist, the king, is portrayed as conniving and dishonest.  Also, two of the poor widow's sons, Pierre and Pascal, are depicted as selfish, rude, and thoughtless.  The protagonist, Petit Jean, is shown as being polite and kind, and is described in the story as being the cleverest of the three sons.  The plot of the story moves along quickly, with the first part involving the three sons' journey to present the perfect peach to the king, and the latter part describing Petit Jean's efforts to try and outwit the king as he tries to keep all 10,000 rabbits together.  

The style in which this folktale adaptation begins follows the same format in which other European folktales are told, beginning with "Once upon a time."  Although Kimmel does include the ending line they "lived happily ever after", he adds his own style twist at the story's conclusion.  He describes how scholars, throughout the ages, have tried to determine the third sack of truth, and cleverly ends the story with "Perhaps they never will."  In addition to the traditional aspects, Kimmel uses the European folktale motif of the number three heavily throughout the story: the three perfect peaches for the widow's three sons; the three notes Petit Jean plays to call the rabbits to him; the three attempts by the king to steal away a rabbit; and the three sacks of truth Petit Jean must present to the king's court.  

Robert Rayevsky's illustrations bring much of the charm and humor described in the folktale to life.   He uses a mixture of pastel and oil paintings as well as pencil drawings to establish the different settings of the story.  The enormous kingdom is drawn in intricate detail, with special attention given to the clock towers,  the building spires, and the shading found in the brickwork.  When the three sons interact with the old woman, the stranger's house is drawn as a simple cottage on a desolate cliff, high above the kingdom.  Although the exact region or location in which this story occurs is vague, the illustrations play up the idea that these events occurred in a faraway land, many years ago.

To add humor to this folktale adaptation, many of the characters are drawn as caricatures, with elongated noses and exaggerated facial features.  These illustrations help to reinforce the characteristics of the three brothers.  To reveal Pierre and Pascal's rude and selfish demeanors, Rayevsky has drawn them as scruffy faced, angry characters, with Pierre even scowling at the old woman.  Petit Jean, on the other hand, is portrayed as lanky and clean shaven, and is often shown smiling as he interacts with the old woman and king.  The colors used throughout the story alternate heavily between the white-colored, airy fields to the grey, dark brown colored walls of the kingdom.  This serves to further emphasize the conflict of good versus evil found throughout the story.

The theme of THREE SACKS OF TRUTH: A STORY FROM FRANCE stresses the importance of being kind and generous to everyone, even strangers.  It also serves to remind readers about the importance of keeping one's word.  Older children will enjoy the ease Kimmel brings to this folktale adaptation as well as the caricature drawings Rayevsky adds to bring a humorous touch to the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST: "Kimmel's lively version of a French folktale has many of the age-old satisfying patterns...Kimmel's retelling retains the old-fashioned tone with just a touch of the colloquial ("The king could not break his promise, but he could tie it in knots"). Rayevsky's lavishly detailed paintings, rendered in warm shades of brown, express the king's ridiculous affectation and also the French peasant boy's cheerful insouciance in confronting the trappings of power."

THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "Kimmel's adaptation retains the tale's enigmatic aspect... Rayevsky's satirical art combines chalk drawings on dark backgrounds with paintings on light backgrounds for a varied sequence of double spreads. His characters are thin and angular, their postures as slyly exaggerated as their expressions. Although this story makes for a long picture book, it will satisfy both older readers and young listeners with its classic theme: underdog as hero."

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:  "In this crisp and sprightly interpretation, storyteller Kimmel takes full advantage of the plot's sly humor... The result is a tale that is at once traditional and fresh. Employing his typically lank figures, Rayevsky adds rich, predominantly earth-toned illustrations that emphasize character and expression with a slight ironic bite."

5.  CONNECTIONS

*Pair this up with picture books that also address the importance of honesty:

Kimmel, Eric.  ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK.  ISBN 0823407985

McKissack, Patricia.  THE HONEST-TO- GOODNESS TRUTH.  ISBN  0689853955

Wood, Douglas.  OLD TURTLE AND THE BROKEN TRUTH.   ISBN  0439321093

*Have students look up the different types of regalia used by the French monarchy as well as the king's court.  What purpose did it serve?  How did it change throughout the different monarchies?  Are there any kings that should be noted for good or evil works?

*Have students describe a time they were nice to a stranger.  What were the results?  How did it make them feel?