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.