From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up--A humble Goatherd falls hopelessly in love with a princess. In order to win her hand, he and two other suitors must meet the king's challenge of bringing back a flask of sea water-- no easy task for a landlocked citizenry. The three suitors encounter many ob stacles in their travels, and in the end the Goatherd wins the princess through a combination of thoughtfulness, indus try, and good sense. Fairy tale ingredi ents are here: love, three suitors, a re quirement for the goal, a test for kindness to the elderly, obstacles, and the triumph of character. There is hu mor, too, when mice give advice, and a suitor asks a genie to make him a king but forgets to specify of which king dom. The graceful and fast-paced text is sometimes marred by sentences be ginning with unnecesssary conjunc tions, and the small print will discour age some readers. The formal, stylized illustrations with expressionless char acters seem at odds with a story so full of action and wit. The arched frames in the illustrations and some of the effects suggest an Eastern setting. Text and pictures are further framed in swirls of pastel blue birds and vines. Gilt back grounds add richness to the scenes. (But it's better not to have seen the de piction of the princess, who is far from the beauty described by the Goatherd.) A story that is satisfying in the best fairy tale tradition, but one that will have limited appeal because of the for mat.
-Jane Saliers, Atlanta-Fulton Public LibraryCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kurzbeschreibung
In order to win the hand of a princess, a young goatherd must fill a flask with sea water and bring it to her father's court. His long journey to the sea is filled with perilous adventures, and in accomplishing the task he proves himself a wise and worthy successor to the old king.
