little things
Jan. 16th, 2009 03:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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fishy1 was asking...)
Once upon a time, when I was in 6th grade and we occasionally still went to the Mary Riley Stiles (Falls Church City) library I picked up a small paperback from the "long book" side of the children's room (before, I think, there was a YA section, although this wouldn't have been in it) with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman (who is possibly my favorite children's illustrator ever) and a lovely little fairytale about a princess called Jennifer and a spoiled brat handsome prince who get lost in an enchanted forest. I read it, and then it went back to the library, and I mostly forgot about it. In my head, it grew into part of my personal mythology-- I've always had a thing about enchanted forests.
And of course years later, when I wanted to read it again, I had no idea what the title was, or the author. I had only a vague notion of the illustrations, and wasn't entirely sure I hadn't confused them with the ones from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Last week, on a whim, I looked up the complete list of Ms. Hyman's works on wikipedia, and found that not only is it there: A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde, but it is back in print.
So of course I ordered a copy. It came today, and it's exactly as I remembered it. For an adult, it's about a two- or three-hour book, but it's sweet and clever and a not-too-transparent lesson about not trusting appearances and being a good person. I'd recommend it, if you've got a few minutes to spare, or a child to raise.
fishy1 was asking...)Once upon a time, when I was in 6th grade and we occasionally still went to the Mary Riley Stiles (Falls Church City) library I picked up a small paperback from the "long book" side of the children's room (before, I think, there was a YA section, although this wouldn't have been in it) with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman (who is possibly my favorite children's illustrator ever) and a lovely little fairytale about a princess called Jennifer and a spoiled brat handsome prince who get lost in an enchanted forest. I read it, and then it went back to the library, and I mostly forgot about it. In my head, it grew into part of my personal mythology-- I've always had a thing about enchanted forests.
And of course years later, when I wanted to read it again, I had no idea what the title was, or the author. I had only a vague notion of the illustrations, and wasn't entirely sure I hadn't confused them with the ones from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Last week, on a whim, I looked up the complete list of Ms. Hyman's works on wikipedia, and found that not only is it there: A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde, but it is back in print.
So of course I ordered a copy. It came today, and it's exactly as I remembered it. For an adult, it's about a two- or three-hour book, but it's sweet and clever and a not-too-transparent lesson about not trusting appearances and being a good person. I'd recommend it, if you've got a few minutes to spare, or a child to raise.