The Prince in the Golden Tower (Viking Kestrel picture books) [Hardcover]

Florence Karpin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1989 | Age Level: 5 and up | Series: Viking Kestrel picture books

Far away, in a mythical eastern land, a rich emperor bargains with the gods: he'll give his gold to the poor and needy in return for a son. But the emperor breaks his promise and the gods take their revenge.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 5--A greedy emperor promises the Great Nurvah that he will give all his gold to the poor if he is sent a son, a promise conveniently forgotten when Prince Sanjay is born. The boy is shut away in a golden tower on his seventh birthday. One night a white tiger ap pears to him, taking him from the tower to see the starving people of the king dom. What appears to be an overnight quest turns into a seven-year absence. The emperor again promises his gold to the poor against his son's return, but again does not live up to his promise. Nurvah destroys the emperor and his palace with a volcano of golden lava, which, when it cools, is used to trade for food and shelter for the poor, and Prince Sanjay rules wisely "all his days." This is not so much a story as a gathering of symbols and images with out any sort of unifying central tension. A gaping omission is the apparent lack of motive for the prince's banishment to the tower in the first place. It would seem to be the emperor's whim, but it could also be that the numerology just works out: seventh birthday, seven wives, forty-nine sisters, seventy-sev en steps to the tower. There is a paucity of eloquence in these symbols. And this is made all the more evident by illustra tions with a surfeit of details. The tone of the text and the tone of the illustra tions simply don't match. If Karpin leaves too much to the imagination, Palladini leaves nothing to the imagina tion. His work is all motifs and stylized borders--an art deco extravaganza. Sanjay's dream-vision journey is an un nervingly literal spread; the molten gold looks like so much butterscotch. This book is not without impact--the printing is exquisite--but it is a one- time-through sort of impact and does not yield up any further riches on sub sequent readings.
-Christina L. Olson, Beverly Hills Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1st ed edition (October 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670822183
• ISBN-13: 978-0670822188
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,806,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.