crystal_reading's review against another edition
3.0
1969 Caldecott Winner
Amusing tale with nice bright illustrations.
Amusing tale with nice bright illustrations.
a_manning11's review against another edition
3.0
I am not entirely sure whether "the idiots shall inherit the earth" is a good moral for a story, but as a reader you can't help rooting for the underdog, i.e. the fool.
And how cool would it be to have a flying ship?!
Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz.
Caldecott Medal Winner 1969.
And how cool would it be to have a flying ship?!
Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz.
Caldecott Medal Winner 1969.
cleansky7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
libraryrobin's review against another edition
3.0
A folk tale in which a group of peasants give their talents to The Fool Of The World so he can get the hand of the czarina.
letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition
2.0
1969 Caldecott Winner
The last one of this decade and it was a dud. Too wordy and too bizarre.
2⭐️
The last one of this decade and it was a dud. Too wordy and too bizarre.
2⭐️
faeriedrumsong's review against another edition
3.0
I heard a version of this tale from an African nation (I don't recall which) first many years ago, and this version doesn't really thrill me much either. The pictures are cute, if you like this style.
It's just that the older I get, the less value I find in the "i'm going to give you my daughter if you do something for me" trope in these tales.
"Hello," princess cries "piece of meat, over here! Waiting to be noticed!"
So, the princess immediately falls in love with someone that EVERYONE (including his own parents) calls a fool, just because he has nice clothes. Admit it. That is the takeaway of the story for many little girls. She doesn't even know him for a full day before she is married to him and loves him "to distraction."
ugh... puh leez
It's just that the older I get, the less value I find in the "i'm going to give you my daughter if you do something for me" trope in these tales.
"Hello," princess cries "piece of meat, over here! Waiting to be noticed!"
So, the princess immediately falls in love with someone that EVERYONE (including his own parents) calls a fool, just because he has nice clothes. Admit it. That is the takeaway of the story for many little girls. She doesn't even know him for a full day before she is married to him and loves him "to distraction."
ugh... puh leez
libscote's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this story. I feel like I've heard it before. It was sort of like...Seven Chinese Brothers. I think that's the title.
Caldecott Medal, 1969
Caldecott Medal, 1969
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
This is a long tale, but worth the reading of it. The poor fool is the youngest of 3 boys and the other 2 boys are clever. The parents both love the older boys and ignore the fool. A Czar sends out a message that any man who can bring a flying ship to him can have his daughter’s hand in marriage.
The fool sets off to find a flying ship after his brothers depart. He meets an ancient who likes the lad. The fool shares his meager meal with him and the ancient tells him how to get the ship. Once he has it, he is to pick up everyone he sees along the way.
What I like about this is that, the fool doesn’t over think anything. He simply listens to the ancient man and does what he was told. It is a sort of metaphor for faith and how they tell people to listen to God’s will. When we do this we have to be willing to accept our place. It’s the Forest Gump archetype. The Czar doesn’t want to give his daughter to a peasant, so he devises ways to trick the lad, but all the people he picks up help him with each task.
This was a long story and the kids attention did wander her and there, but once we got to the part where the travelers with the Fool started doing the tasks the kids were really into this. The nephew kept trying to figure out which man was going to do what. He loved this little story by the end of it. He gave it a hearty 5 stars. The niece thought it was a good story and she had fun with it. She gave this 4 stars.
The artwork is lovely. It’s looks like a mix of watercolors and ink or paint or something. I like this book.
The fool sets off to find a flying ship after his brothers depart. He meets an ancient who likes the lad. The fool shares his meager meal with him and the ancient tells him how to get the ship. Once he has it, he is to pick up everyone he sees along the way.
What I like about this is that, the fool doesn’t over think anything. He simply listens to the ancient man and does what he was told. It is a sort of metaphor for faith and how they tell people to listen to God’s will. When we do this we have to be willing to accept our place. It’s the Forest Gump archetype. The Czar doesn’t want to give his daughter to a peasant, so he devises ways to trick the lad, but all the people he picks up help him with each task.
This was a long story and the kids attention did wander her and there, but once we got to the part where the travelers with the Fool started doing the tasks the kids were really into this. The nephew kept trying to figure out which man was going to do what. He loved this little story by the end of it. He gave it a hearty 5 stars. The niece thought it was a good story and she had fun with it. She gave this 4 stars.
The artwork is lovely. It’s looks like a mix of watercolors and ink or paint or something. I like this book.
jlconnery's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the story and illustrations, but was caught off guard by the part where the Fool says if the tsar will not “give” his daughter willingly, he will just take her by force. Read it too fast and had to talk about that line with my daughters. Was glad in the end it was mentioned that the Princess was happy to marry the fool...
raoionna's review against another edition
3.0
The tale of a peasant in Czarist Russia who develops a flying boat and takes his friends for a ride.
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