Once upon a time, a King told his son that the time had come for him to marry and he had arranged for the Prince to marry a Princess from a far off kingdom across the sea. The Prince, not happy with his fate and lack of choice declared, "I will only marry the Princess I pick for myself." But the King was insistent and the Prince finally agreed to a contest. He would marry the Princess if his father could find anyone in the kingdom who could tell him a story with an ending he didn't know. At the same time, a Princess, in a far off kingdom is boarding a ship with her parents to cross the sea for an arranged marriage to a Prince. She too, is not happy. "I'd rather be washed overboard in a storm at sea." And as fate would have it, that's exactly what happens. After many days in the water, she finally washes ashore in a strange land and finds a dry sailor's suit to wear. Disguised and needing money, she enters a contest to tell a young Prince a story, a new and special story, with an ending he's never heard before..... Rafe Martin has written a charming and imaginative old fashioned fairy tale, complete with happily ever after ending that's perfect for youngsters 4-8. His evocative text is beautifully depicted in Kimberly Bulcken Root's detailed and expressive artwork, done in soft tones of blues and golds. Though the ending is predictable, the enjoyment is in the getting there and this is a satisfying story children will want to read again and again.

In this book a princess faces a loveless arranged marriage and declares she would rather be washed overboard than to marry someone she has not chosen herself. Of course, her wish comes true and she is washed overboard the ship she is sailing on to meet her betrothed. Soon she finds herself competing to tell a story with an ending a prince cannot predict. The story is entertaining, albeit predictable for adults, and provides positive role models for children. The power of story is shown as the princess and the prince hopefully live happily ever after with lots of great stories to share.

The illustrations are particularly beautiful and romantic without sappiness. The book should be well received by the younger set who are tired of their traditional fairy tales and want a new story to read.

My 2 1/2-year-old grandson loves this book. He likes the illustrations and the simple wording. He asked me to read it over several times.

I appreciated the message because he is told to wash his hands after he goes potty, after he pets the cat and after he comes in from outdoors--and of course, before eating. I think he liked this book because he could see that the princess had to wash her hands throughout the day just as he does!

I'm surprised that no one has reviewed this book yet, since Amazon has sold lots and lots of copies ... my guess is that most teachers (like myself) are simply too busy to stop and write reviews :o)

I received my copy of this great book in the mail today, and my kinderkids are going to love it! It's the story of a little princess who is constantly being told "Wash your hands!" The princess is playing outside in the mud ("The little princess LOVED getting dirty!") and comes inside to eat a piece of cake. Her mother, the Queen, stops her and says "Wash your hands before you eat that." "Why?" asks the little princess. "Because you've been playing outside."

The little princess dutifully washes her hands, then stops to dance with the dog and cat on the way to the kitchen. Next the cook tells her to wash her hands, and of course the little princess asks why. This is repeated several times, with delightful illustrations, to remind the little princess (and all the children who will hear and enjoy this story) that she needs to wash her hands after playing with animals, using her potty, playing outside, and sneezing.

A humorous discussion of "germs and nasties" follows, and the little princess learns that if she doesn't wash her hands, the germs and nasties "can get into your food, and then into your tummy ... and then they make you ill."

Like Tony Ross' other books ("I Want My Potty" and "I Want to Be"), this one will be a big hit with my students while sharing an important message in a way they'll enjoy and remember.

My daughter received this book as a gift when she was 2 1/2. She loves to do the puzzles and now knows all of her shapes, including trapezoid and hexagon. Very educational and fun.

We bought this for our 2.5 year old daughter and she loves it! It's great for finding patterns, learning shapes, sorting, matching edges, symmetry...there's a lot going on in this activity book. The pieces are solid and bright, and it's nice to have a storage container built right into the spine of the book. As a (former) math teacher, I'm thrilled to have this for my toddler!

Max Lucado writes amazing stories for children and this one is no different. Through out the whole story you learn more about God and how He can and will be with you all the way throughout life's journeys. Every time i open one of his books I learn so much. Mr. Lucado's books especially poin out good Christian teachings in ways that children can understand the best. I can't wait until I read the rest of the book like this one. I read this book in about 5 minutes and I loved it. The story is a simple one but an amazing one. I grew up in church and the moral of this is one tha tI have heard many times already. Thsi story put it into different words that I know my children will love as much as I did. Each prince is given the chance to marry the king's daugher but first they must make it through the forest. No one has even entered the forset and then left it. THe king's special glute will guide them. If they loose site if it they will be lost. How do they make it though? Which one will make it first? Who will be thir one companion? So many questions. Read the book it is a childrens book made for all ages. Enjoy the lessons hidden within

Three princes are given the same challenge: Be the first to travel through the woods and arrive at the king's castle. The winner may marry the king's daughter. No one who has entered the woods has ever come back. Each may choose a traveling companion. Each has the promise of hearing the king's flute three times a day to help guide him. But only one will find out who will be with him all the way. This book captured the imaginations of all the boys in my class.

This book is great...even boys like hearing the story of what it's like to be a princess. When given the choice between this book and other more popular character books the boys I work with choose this one!

I really enjoyed reading this book.I gave it 5 stars for a reason. Girls that are into exciting and scary books should read it. I loved this book so much that I read it in 2 days!!! It is a really good book.

This book is about a girl who must try and free her friend that is a wizard. he has been captured by powerful sorceror. can she and balin get out of the grimrock castle?

Altoona Baboona's auntie is lonely in North Saskatoona. So Altoona and her friends board their trusty balloon and fly up for a visit. The North is cold and snowy, and poor Auntie yearns for someplace warm. As the foursome trek, ski, ice fish, sled-dog, and float, do they notice the change in climate? Children will love 'getting' the joke on Altoona, long before she figures it out herself. Bynum's playful illustrations, done in friendly watercolors, pulls readers into Altoona's whimsical world. Lots of fun wordplay, and a text that is just the right length for younger children, complete the perfect package of a picturebook!

Diana Scarisbrick's "Ancestral Jewels: Treasures of Britain's Aristocracy" is a superb overview of the jewels and jewelry which helped to set the British nobility apart--for better or for worse. Scarisbrick doesn't limit herself to the typical earrings, necklaces, tiaras, and so on--there are bejeweled ceremonial swords, stomachers, chatelaines, cups and boxes, and more.

One of Scarisbrick's real accomplishments is to juxtapose photographs of jewelry alone with a photograph of the jewelry being worn in an oil portrait, or showing a piece being worn first as a head ornament and then later as a necklace (a common practice with tiaras, which could often be broken down into smaller parts and used as earrings, brooches, and so on).

The jewels are fantastic, as is the photography. Although I would have preferred that more of the photographs were in color, that's a small quibble when even the black-and-white pictures are so crisp and filled with telling detail. Beyond this, Scarisbrick is to be commended for providing a concise, accurate, and broad overview of British jewelry history. The book is eminently readable, and the pictures are fascinating.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is the appendix, tellingly entitled "Where Are They Now? Dispersal, Transformation, and Theft." Here Scarisbrick delves into the sometimes shady, sometimes ignoble histories and reputations of dozens of gem-encrusted objects. She quotes here from Anthony Trollope's peerless novel "The Eustace Diamonds" when she writes: " . . . family treasures were preserved 'not so much for the protection of property but for the more picturesque idea of maintaining chivalric associations. Heirlooms have become so, not that future owners of them may be assured of so much wealth whatever the value of the things so settled may be--but that the son or grandson may enjoy the satisfaction of saying my father or grandfather or ancestor sat in that chair or looked as he now looks in that picture or was graced by wearing on his breast that very ornament which you see lying beneath the glass.' "

Scarisbrick understands, as did Trollope, how the aristocracy works and how it clings to the thought of itself as being somehow better than the rest of the world. Scarisbrick's accomplishment here is to show us a history of a rarefied group of people through the splendid adornments chosen by its very privileged members.

I've been studying this book for over two years, and have already opened a website on its author whom I consider as one of the major chroniclers and writers of eighteenth century Court society in England. The "Correspondence" includes many insights into tthe countryside, since Mary Delany travelled to and lived in Ireland and different other parts of Britain. Several letters from famous people like Swift (yes, the one who wrote something about Gulliver), Horace Walpole, Samuel Richardson and many other great eighteenth century figures can be found in the "Correspondence" since they were also correspondents of Mary Delany. To sum up, in a nutshell, I do call this book MY bible, and I am convinced that it ought to be much better known than it now is. From an enthuisastic French reader and reviewer who'd love to be contacted on that subject...