The Happy Prince and Other Tales

by Oscar Wilde Narrated by Shobha Srinivasin, David Thorn, Bobbie Frohman

Overview

A set of charming short stories for children by Oscar Wilde.

Table of Contents:
1. The Happy Prince
2. The Nightingale and the Rose
3. The Selfish Giant
4. The Devoted Friend
5. The Remarkable Rocket

The Happy Prince
The tale of a statue of a prince how he teaches generosity and the gift of love to a small sparrow who becomes his friend.

The Nightingale and the Rose
A young Student is infatuated by the daughter of a Professor. She promises to dance with him till dawn at the Prince's ball if the Student will bring her a red rose. But in his garden there are no red roses. The Nightingale, who night after night romantically sings of such love as she believes she now sees demonstrated, is moved to provide the red rose so as to facilitate the love between the Student and the young woman.

The Selfish Giant
A Selfish Giant has a beautiful garden he refuses to share with the children in his village. Spring refuses to visit the giant's garden until he meets a little boy who teaches him how to love others.

The Devoted Friend
A young lad is befriended by a prosperous farmer, who takes advantage of the boy's generosity and only gives him broken promises in return, in addition, the farmer says horrible things about the boy to others. The young lad's last act of kindness costs him dearly and the farmer changes his tune.

The Remarkable Rocket
The king's son was to be married and there was to be a superb fireworks display for the event. All the rockets and different kinds of fireworks were excited about their big moment. The Rocket was a real better than thou type...very arrogant and deprecating to the other fireworks with much going ons about who was the most important,etc. The rocket always taking the road that he was indeed, the best of the lot. All the fireworks argued and fought over being the best with the Rocket asserting that he was.

When the big night came about...

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Ray's (Magical Tales from Many Lands; The Story of Christmas) folksy, gilt-laden artwork graces this somewhat formal abridgment of Wilde's tale about an enchanted statue. The Happy Prince, who had lived a happy life and died a happy man, is now immortalized high above the city as a golden and bejeweled statue. For the first time the royal sees the suffering, poverty and misery of the common people. Sharing his sympathetic view with a sparrow, the prince persuades the bird to postpone its migration and instead to deliver his gold leafing, his sapphire eyes and ruby belt to those who need them. Soon the sparrow dies of cold and the prince, now shabby, is removed from its pedestal and melted down. Though young readers may appreciate the lessons of selflessness and sacrifice here, the telling may seem to them stilted and even occasionally disjointed. Ray's characteristically rich palette and her delicate borders and backgrounds provide the visual magic that keeps this sentimental tale afloat. Ages 7-up. (Jan.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Ray has done a masterful job of retelling and illustrating one of Wilde's more accessible fairy tales. Using most of the author's words and all of his intent, she has omitted the more flowery and verbose prose and subplots. The result is a tightened tale that expresses compassion in a simple, heartfelt story of a statue and a little bird. Alternating full-and double-page illustrations with panels, Ray has put enormous detail into her paintings, and each one is burnished with a kind of verdigris gold. Readers will especially appreciate the pictures that depict the wonders of Egypt. Not piteous or sentimental, The Happy Prince is a balanced tale; in fact, Leo Lionni's modern classic, Tico and the Golden Wings (Knopf, 1975), seems to revisit its universal themes.-Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171630812
Publisher:	Alcazar Audio Works
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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