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Library | Material Type | Item Barcode | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Juvenile Picture Book Hardback | 120791000216698 | J P HAR | Searching... Unknown |
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Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-- This original fairy tale delights the eye while it wearies the mind. Every page is filled with drawings in the style of classic 19th-century illustrators. However, embellishment and detail are loaded on a story that cannot support them because it ignores even the basics of the genre. There is no appropriate cause and effect; instead of danger there is self-indulgence; instead of obstacles there are inconveniences. Queen Ruby adorns her long red hair with the finest roses in order to please her subjects, whom she reasons must be tired of her ordinary crown. The roses attract bees, and so annoy her that she orders them banished across the wall to the neighboring realm of the hermit King Harry. The next week, crimson trumpet flowers cause hummingbirds to swarm her; they, too, go the way of the bees. A wreath of blackberries fares no better, nor do the songbirds that peck her head, and they are also sent to the adjoining kingdom. Of course, she has to bring back the bees and the birds so that the crops (and her people) are not impoverished by lack of pollination. She meets King Harry, and all ends happily. The ample surface beauty of these pages, lovingly executed in precise pen and ink work, is no match for the weak text. --Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Harness ( The Windchild ) employs the intricate craftsmanship of a bygone age in this visually captivating tale, which features meticulously wrought scenes of Elizabethan grandeur bordered by ornate floral motifs. Here, a wall separates the neighboring kingdoms of Queen Ruby and Hermit King Harry. One day narcissistic Ruby, in an attempt to impress the peasantry, rides through town crowned with roses. Unfortunately, bees swarm to the flowers, creating a particularly bad hair day for Her Majesty. Ruby banishes all bees to Harry's side of the wall; two coiffures later, the same fate has befallen the local birds. Thus, no bees pollinate Ruby's flowers and no birds sing. The paintings' high-toned complexities may appeal more to adults than to children, and a few difficult words (``retinue,'' ``warily'') may distance the book from younger readers. (Also, hand lettering occasionally jars with the text's carefully conceived typeface.) Still, the artwork impresses: black outlines resembling those of wood engravings are subtly filled with clear colors; the unique look is enhanced through clashing perspectives that place impossibly protruding buildings behind recessed stone walls. Quibbles aside, Harness's masterfully complex illustrations add unusual luster to a tale of royal vanity. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Vain Queen Ruby rides through her kingdom wearing wreaths of roses, trumpet flowers, and blackberries. Bees and birds attracted to the floral crowns disrupt the queen's royal effect, until she orders all such creatures to be herded on to neighboring King Harry's land. When spring brings no flowers or crops to the unhappy kingdom, Ruby calls back the bees and birds and returns to wearing a sensible crown. Elaborate, detailed artwork illustrates the original tale. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. This is a delightful original fairy tale about two monarchs whose kingdoms are separated by a stone wall. Shy King Harry never leaves his castle; pompous, vain Queen Ruby rides out in her carriage every Saturday. While wearing roses in her long red hair one Saturday, the queen is stung by a bee. She responds by ordering that all bees be dumped on King Harry's side of the wall. The following week, hummingbirds, attracted by red trumpet flowers in her hair, also find a new home with King Harry. Next, the queen banishes the song birds that peck at the lush blackberries in her hair. During the fall and winter, the queen's hair adornments become more exotic while her subjects become more dejected. Finally, with spring and the realiza~tion that without birds and bees~ there will be no new flowers or crops--a situation that could cause a revolu~tion--the queen acts. Servants recover the birds and bees, and everyone, including King Harry, celebrates rebirth and renewal. Harness follows the fairy tale tradi~tion hand~somely, in theme, characters, prose, and illus~trations. Intricate borders--alive with flowers, bees, and birds--embellish the pages of detailed colored pen-and-ink draw~ings, with a distinctive use of black, that showcase the royal story with flair. A sure hit for story hours and a welcome addition to fairy tale units. ~--Deborah Abbott