I really loved this story, which is the retelling of a traditional folktale about an old woman who tricks death. The story is sweet while also encouraging children (and adults) to think about the reasons for death and when it is not a bad thing, such as when it offers relief to those who are suffering. The old woman is happy and not suffering, and refuses to go when death comes for her. She tricks him into getting stuck in her pear tree so he is unable to come for anyone, with unintended consequences (animals can't be butchered, battles have bizarre consequences in wars, etc.). When the woman hears that her old friend is suffering and can't end his misery, she frees death even though she knows it means giving up her own life. Death is impressed with her sacrifice and says she can continue living as long as she likes and can just call for him when she's ready (she kicks up her heels and says that may be a while).

It is especially bittersweet that the author of the retelling died after writing the book, and never even knew that it was accepted for publication. The publishers note in an epilogue that she lives on through its publication.

The illustrations are lovely, and this is a book that children are likely to enjoy. It reminds me quite a bit of the Strega Nona series, and I love that the main character was changed by the author to be a heroine (in the original, the old woman merely bargains with death and is selfish). I also like that the book encourages discussions about death and doesn't give easy answers. As the old lady tells death, he is often unfair in who he takes.

The book is due to be released in the fall of 2019 and it's one that I may purchase for our home library. Recommended.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

The afterword of this book, explaining how and why the author changed the original story, is one of the most interesting things about it. That's not to say that it can't stand up on its own; it's a decent folktale about a personified Death and a wily woman who outwits him.

The illustrations are quite lovely, and work well with the story. Everything from the pear tree to the characters are nicely rendered in colourful detail.

In the original story, the woman represented misery; here, she represents hope. It seems like a no-brainer, and I'm not sure why nobody ever thought of doing that before. After all, who wants to read a story about death and misery? (Not very appealing topics for a children's book, are they?)

Overall, this is a nice folktale retelling with fresh illustrations and a welcome twist on the original story. Fans of folktales and other stories that explain the "whys" of the world will probably enjoy this one.

"The Pear Tree" is another great retelling of a classic folktale. The artwork is nice and simple and the story has a lot to offer to children and adults.

Nice twist on an old tale! I have read other versions of the story of death coming for someone and being outwitted by a clever man or woman. But this story also has a unique to me twist at the end of the story. I think it's a lovely story for all ages. The illustrations were wonderful to look at, too.