The quality of transfer from hard copy to digital made a bit harder to enjoy the illustrations, but I loved the delicate tale. It really seemed rooted in the time period. ( )

An itinerant cobbler in Colonial New England, Jonathan Dowse would travel from one settlement to the next, making shoes for all of the residents. When he finds himself lost in the woods late one night, he is glad to come to a neat cottage, and even more glad to meet its owner, the beautiful Rebecca Wyse. Her request that he fix her shoes causes him some worry, as their red heels are a sure sign of witchcraft, but he agrees anyway, having already fallen in love. Sure enough, he eventually discovers that the shoes are magical, and that Rebecca uses them to dance through the sky during the night. He joins her for a time, but misses his work as a shoemaker, and eventually leaves. The next fall, Rebecca finds him in nearby Indian Cove, and indicates that she is willing to give up her red heels. But is it necessary...?

From a historical perspective, The Red Heels isn't particularly believable, given that it is set in Colonial New England, and fear of witchcraft would have been quite strong in that time and place. Would Jonathan have been able to overcome his fear of Rebecca's magical flying, in the way depicted? Even if he loved her, would he be willing to join in, given the religious beliefs common during that period, and the likely fact that he would have been taught that such activities could lead to eternal damnation? On the other hand, this is clearly an original fairy-tale, or work of fantasy, so if one can suspend one's disbelief regarding magical shoes and clamshells, why not suspend one's disbelief regarding the historical unlikeliness here? Moreover, the obsession with witchcraft in this particular cultural setting, makes it an interesting backdrop for such a witchy story. For me, I found Robert D. San Souci's narrative here engaging, and had no issue with the historical milieu. The accompanying artwork from Gary Kelley is lovely - dark-toned, full of mystery and quite expressive. Recommended to fairy-tale lovers and picture-book readers who enjoy atmospheric witchy tales. ( )

When I first read the title it caught my curiousity immediately. The cover picture seemed sad and gloomy so I thought that it was going to be a story that did not end well or had no happy ending. When I started to read that idea began to fade. The story was cute and romantic. I also think that it did a good job in teachng acceptance of others and love for others. The author used Old English and a variety of complicated and easy words. I absolutley enjoyed the characters, the story, the plot and the setting of the book. The art was also enjoyable, it brought the charaters to life and was realistic. Overall, the book was interesting and keeps the reader guessing and hoping for a happy ending. ( )