"William The Curious: Knight of the Water Lilies" written and illustrated by Charles Santore is a wonderful fairy tale with a modern twist. I chose this book because of the illustrations but we all ended up loving the story.
The summary on the book jacket explains the story perfectly, so I am going to share it with you instead of trying to put it in my words..I am blaming the high humidity for my lack of inspiration! It's only 9 AM and the temperature is 24 degrees Celsius, but with the humidity it
is 32!
"Absolute perfection. That's what the Queen of the Land of Far and Wide insists on. Why, she even orders her minions to move mountains and change the colours of the forest. But she is never satisfied. When she decrees that all imperfect things in her castle must be thrown out the window, it's not long before the lovely lily-blanketed moat below becomes a slimy junk pile. However, the Queen doesn't realize what her quest for perfection has done, and no one dares tell her...except for one very small, very brave frog named William. This is his story."
Here is a quote from the story:
"When everyone was assembled, she announced: "I have decided that everything in the castle must be absolutely perfect! You must find each thing that is worn or broken or faded. When you find a cloth with even one broken thread, or a jewel that doesn't glitter enough, or a vase or statue with even the tiniest chip on it, throw it out of the nearest window at once! This is the new castle law."
We have this book, and I love the illustrations, too. :)
ReplyDeleteOhhh I will have to see if our library has that one!
ReplyDeleteMy boys will love this, and I've just managed to request it at our local library. Thanks
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