One-Eye! Two-Eyes! Three-Eyes!: A Very Grimm Fairy Tale

Once there were three sisters who lived together in a cottage in the woods. The oldest sister was no different from other people. She had just one eye, right in the middle of her forehead. The middle sister was also quite ordinary. She had one eye on her forehead, and one on each side of her face. But the youngest sister was different. Her name was Two-Eyes, and that’s just what she had.

In this playful retelling of a tale from the Brothers Grimm, a young lady with cruel sisters gets help from an old woman, a handsome knight, and some magical verses — and in the end finds out she is not so alone as she believed.

Rated “A” by Entertainment Weekly
2007 New York Public Library’s “100 Titles for Reading and Sharing”

TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS — A READER’S THEATER SCRIPT OF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FREE ON AARON’S WEB SITE.

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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of “The Legend of Lightning Larry,” “The Adventures of Mouse Deer,” “The Sea King’s Daughter,” “The Baker’s Dozen,” and many more kids’ books. His stories also appear often in Cricket magazine.

Gary Clement is a political cartoonist for Canada’s National Post, and the winner of the 1999 Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature, Illustration.

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“Scrappy little Two-Eyes is an especially appealing character. . . . Many classic Grimm tales are downright frightening, but this modern retelling manages to stay very close to the original while making it completely accessible to today’s kids.” — Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly, Jan. 18, 2007, “A” rating

“Shepard proves that updating a classic can be a treat for a new generation of readers.” — Publishers Weekly, Nov. 13, 2006

“Wry fun for the early grades.” — Kirkus Reviews, Nov. 15, 2006

“An old tale gets a facelift in this lively version. . . . On the way to happily-ever-after, a good time will be had by all.” — Ilene Cooper, Booklist, Jan. 1, 2007

“Children will enjoy the humor in this reincarnation. . . . Will make excellent fodder for reader’s theater, with a script available on the author’s Web site.” — Grace Oliff, School Library Journal, Jan. 2007

“This may be a Grimm tale, but it is not a grim one. . . . . The broad comedy of Gary Clement’s watercolor illustrations is a treat. . . . . Adult readers will enjoy sly touches.” — Susan Perren, The Globe and Mail (Toronto), Jan. 20, 2007

“Shepard’s twist of having Two-Eyes be the unusual one adds the type of humor young readers often enjoy most, where they are in on the joke.” — The Horn Book, Jan.-Feb., 2007

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SAMPLE

Now, the sisters owned a goat, and every day Two-Eyes took it to the meadow to graze. One morning, when she’d had hardly anything to eat, she sat in the grass and cried her two eyes out.

All at once, an old woman stood before her. But the biggest surprise was that this woman had two eyes, just like Two-Eyes herself.

“What’s wrong, my dear?” asked the woman.

“It’s my sisters,” Two-Eyes told her. “They never give me enough to eat.”

“Don’t worry about that!” said the woman. “You can have as much as you like. Just say to your goat,

‘Bleat, goat, bleat.
And bring me lots to eat!’

Then you’ll have plenty. When you don’t want any more, just say,

‘Bleat, goat, bleat.
I’ve had so much to eat!’

Then the rest will vanish. Just like this.”

And the old woman vanished — just like that.