The Faithful Friend
By
Robert San Souci
SAN SOUCI, Robert. The Faithful Friend. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. unpaged.
Simon & Schuster. 1995. ISBN 0-02-786131-7.
Gr 3-6----A traditional French West Indies tale beautifully retold by Robert San Souci, set on the island of Martinique. Widower Monsieur Duforce, a sugar plantation owner, raises his only son, Clement, and his nurse’s son, Hippolyte. A strong bond is soon formed between the two friends. Once grown, Clement sets out to find a young lady named Pauline, the niece of Monsieur Zabocat. His wish is to ask for her hand in marriage. Hippolyte, who is like a brother to Clement, joins him. The two young men are very good-hearted and stop along the way to give an old beggar a proper burial after discovering his body. When they finally reach Pauline, Clement is hopelessly in love. Monsieur Zabocat, however, forbids them to marry and demands that they leave his home. Pauline insists that she is of age and the trio begin their journey back to Monsieur Duforce’s plantation. On the way, Hippolyte overhears wicked zombies plotting to destroy the happy couple on behalf of Monsieur Zabocat. Hippolyte cleverly outwits the zombies several times and prevents any harm from occurring to Clement and Pauline. On the wedding night, Hippolyte saves the couple from the final attempt on their lives, a deadly snake. He kills it with his sword and it disappears. Monsieur Zabocat accuses him of trying to harm the newlyweds and he is slowly turned to stone. Clement and Pauline quickly realize how faithful Hippolyte has been and the curse is transferred to Monsieur Zabocat. Themes of love, truth and greed are woven together to complete this exciting tale. Pinkney’s Caldecott Award-winning scratchboard and oil illustrations are sensational. A glossary is included for the French and Creole phrases to better understand the story’s flavor. This book would work well with a classroom study of folktales, the Caribbean, and friendship.
By Christy DeLordo