Prince of the Birds [Hardcover]

Amanda Hall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"There once lived in Granada a king and queen who had one child, a boy named Alu. When Alu was born, astrologers noted that the prince's stars were favorable — apart from the star of love . . ." So opens this version of the classic tale from Moorish Spain. Alu's father, concerned about the cloud on his son's destiny, locks the boy in a high tower, safe from the perils of love, attended only by an old man and nearby birds, whose language he learns. Soon he learns of a princess who is also imprisoned in a tower and the two begin a secret correspondence. Armed only with her picture, Alu sets out on a journey to find her. Amanda Hall's luminous illustrations and compelling text bring Alu's adventures to life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-When Prince Ahmed is born in Granada, royal astrologers predict that love will put him in great danger, so his father locks him away in a high tower where he can hear nothing about "mysteries of the heart." Mastering the language of birds, Ahmed learns about the joys and sorrows of love from a wounded dove, who also suggests an object for his affection: a Princess locked in a faraway tower surrounded by mountains. The dove carries a letter; the reply emboldens Prince Ahmed to escape. Assisted by a wise owl and a witty parrot, he eventually finds his beloved, wins her hand in a tournament, and carries her off on a flying carpet. Hall acknowledges the source for this adaptation, Washington Irving's Legend of Prince Ahmed al Kamel; or, The Pilgrim of Love, from Alhambra (1832), a collection of stories and sketches written while Irving lived in the old Moorish palace in Granada. The decorative, polished art in refined and subtle colors suggests the vibrant multicultural era when medieval Spain was partially ruled by Muslims, but the text excises the historical context that enlivened Irving's tale. For example, he tells readers that the Prince was Muslim, the Princess Christian, and that their marriage almost caused a war, averted through the power of love. While handsome, the illustrations do not compensate for what is lost when Irving's rich, detailed, often ironic prose is reduced.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Adapted from Washington Irving's Legend of Prince Ahmed Al Kamel (1832), this beautifully illustrated picture book, set in southern Spain, retells a Moorish fantasy tale. When royal astrologers declared the infant prince to be unlucky in love, his beloved parents locked him in a high tower to keep him safe. "His only companions were the birds." One day, the prince learned of a princess in another tower, far away. The birds carry poetic messages of love between the two and, after the prince escapes his tower, help the young man find her. Before he can set her free, however, he must prove himself in a tournament--a difficult task for a "poetic young man." With the birds' help, however, he finds a way, and the lovers escape on a glorious magic carpet. The exquisitely detailed, folk art-style paintings show the friendly birds in the forest and the mountains; the small, powerful creatures will appeal to preschoolers as much as the story of love and triumph. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845071026
• ISBN-13: 978-1845071028
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,055,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Adventure - But with One Disturbing Image, August 21, 2009

By 

jen "jennibenni" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of the Birds (Paperback)

My daughter likes stories that are adventures and this book delivers a tale full of talking birds, secret caves, enchanted horses and flying carpets. My five year old daughter was a little taken aback by the image of a dove shot through the chest by an arrow. She said she like the dove and wished it hadn't died. I kind of hedged and noted the book didn't say it died but she pointed at the little splash of blood and the closed eyes and said she was pretty certain it wasn't sleeping, that it was dead. Sooooo... apart from the lightly blood splattered dead dove it was a great tale that engaged her imagination and love of magical adventures.