While on a dangerous quest which requires her to take the form of different wild animals, a selfish young girl learns about compassion and generosity.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Magnificent, elaborate illustrations form the backdrop for this retelling of a little-known story. All the ingredients for a smashing fairy tale in the classic tradition are here?enchantment, a quest, a magical kingdom, good triumphing over evil, and a humble heroine exalted far above her station by her goodness. Through selfishness and folly, the eponymous girl is transformed into a fish; through courage and determination, she redeems herself and wins the love of a prince. Heyer (Iron Hans) takes readers from a fisherman's cottage to a palace at the bottom of the sea and, later, to a giant's castle; populated as these settings are with mermaids, talking fish and an assortment of exotic animals, they give Heyer a poetic set of images to work with. She plays it to the hilt, and her lavishly bordered, opulently detailed pages fairly radiate romance. All ages.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4?A Spanish folktale in which a beautiful, spoiled girl is turned into a fish after she eats a magical talking fish that warned her against killing it. She meets the queen of the fishes, a beautiful mermaid who cannot become human again until she recovers the crown that was stolen from her by a giant. Granted the power to change into any creature whose skills will help her, the girl sets off to accomplish the dangerous task. She becomes, in turn, a deer, ant, monkey, parrot, eagle, and toad; faces the fearsome giant; completes the two tasks demanded by him; and breaks the spell on all of the women, including herself. The paintings are lavish full-and double-page spreads with lovely borders filled with patterns of real and mythological sea and forest creatures and architectural details. The story is pleasant and unfamiliar, but it has several holes. A reference to the giant stealing the crown so that his own daughter could assume the queen's identity is very briefly dealt with. The tasks are easily completed. The handsome prince, who sees the girl as a deer, knows immediately that she is an enchanted beauty and falls in love with her. He moons around but doesn't have to do anything to win her or prove he is worthy. When his mother returns from the sea, she introduces the young people and one assumes that they live happily ever after. Now that the girl has so quickly turned into a gorgeous and selfless young woman, her adoring and long-suffering parents are not mentioned again. Nor is the talking fish. The book's main attraction is the gorgeously detailed, dramatic and romantic paintings. This handsome book should be widely enjoyed by fairy-tale lovers.?Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful book for older children,
By
This review is from: The Girl, the Fish, and the Crown (Hardcover)
Marilee Heyer does an excellent job of retelling this Spanish folktale of a selfish and indulgent girl's journey into the sea. As a punishment for not showing mercy, the girl becomes a fish. In her wanderings, she eventually is led to a queen who, like her, is trapped in the sea. The girl is given power to transform herself into the form of other animals and is given the quest of reclaiming the queen's crown which was stolen by a giant. After taking on the forms of various animals and running into a prince in the shape of a deer, the girl finds the giant, deals honestly with him, achieves the tasks that he sets before her, and returns to the queen with crown in fin. Of course, the enchantment ends and all of the queen, her court, and the girl are returned to their human form. The prince, the son of the queen, recognizes the eyes of the girl and all live happily ever after. While the story is excellent, Heyer's colorful and exquisite illustrations add a great deal to the overall presentation. Older children will greatly enjoy this wonderful adventure with its solid, good morals.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite new fairy tales,
By Lauren (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Girl, the Fish, and the Crown: A Spanish Folktale (Paperback)
I ran across this book while searching online for picture books based on fairy tales and bought it (along with quite a few others) just because it was one I'd never heard of or read before. I was disappointed with some of the ones I'd purchased but when this book came, I was pleasantly surprised to see the gorgeous cover. The pictures inside were just as beautifully illustrated and the story itself was equally riveting and wonderful. It wasn't just a story I hadn't read before but like some of the best fairy tales out there, it was one that was exciting, adventurous, and it had a moral lesson to teach.
*spoilers* I always like it when the heroine is not some poor, beleaguered young girl (or boy for that matter) who overcomes great adversity to earn a happy ending when she's already earned it from page one as far as I'm concerned. The heroine was a willful, spoiled girl who is actually smarter and braver than she appears--she quickly grows and changes, learns compassion, and rises to the occasion. This book is definitely a keeper for my bookshelf. I only wish the author had a lot more books like this one published.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous and a lovely story,
By
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This review is from: The Girl, the Fish, and the Crown: A Spanish Folktale (Paperback)
This is not only a wonderful folk tale but a beautifully illustrated one. Edge to edge pictures retell this story of a young girl who is cursed and how she sets out to break it. I would highly recommend this book be added to your collection wether it be for the young reader or the old.
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