Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) [Hardcover]

Florence Parry Heide (Author), Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A bestselling Caldecott Honor artist and legendary author team up!

A publishing event! Florence Parry Heide, author of such classics as the Shrinking of Treehorn, and Lane Smith, recipient of a slew of awards, have created an unforgettable princess sure to charm and delight young readers.

Princess Hyacinth has a problem: she floats. And so the king and queen have pebbles sewn into the tops of her socks, and force her to wear a crown encrusted with the heaviest jewels in the kingdom to keep her earthbound. But one day, Hyacinth comes across a balloon man and decides to take off all her princess clothes, grab a balloon, and float free. Hooray! Alas, when the balloon man lets go of the string . . . off she goes. Luckily, there is a kite and a boy named Boy to save her.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2009:
“Smith’s elegantly cartoonish brush-and-ink character survives an exhilarating scare involving a kite, a rescue and a newly formed friendship. Heide’s prose takes off just when Hyacinth does.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, August 17, 2009:
"Heide possesses the ability to tell a moralistic tale without a hint of didacticism."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, November 2009:
“Heide’s tale bubbles with effervescence, drawing readers into the fantasy with a lively, conversational text.”

About the Author

Florence Parry Heide is an award-winning writer with more than fifty books under her belt, including the Treehorn titles, illustrated by Edward Gorey. She lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Lane Smith’s many accolades include a Caldecott Honor Medal, two New York Times Best Illustrated Book awards, several LA Notable Awards, and countless “Best Book” citations from School Library Journal, Booklist, The Bulletin, and others. He lives in Washington, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375845011
• ISBN-13: 978-0375845017
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 0.4 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ***GGG*** rating, empowering for girls, January 6, 2010

By 

Margot Magowan (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) (Hardcover)

This book gets my highest ***GGG*** rating as empowering for girls. Yes, Hyacinth is a princess but this book is not just another princess book. Instead, it's a great example of successfully appropriating classic female imagery and narrative, making it wonderful and powerful. Princesss Hyacinth has a flowery name but not a flowery look. As a brown haired, brown eyed girl myself, I always appreciate when the star of a kids book has my (and my middle daughter) not so typically princessy coloring. This story is also great to explain narrative style to kids because it begins: "Princess Hyacinth had a problem." (I tell my kids every story has a problem because creating that problem helps them focus when they tell their own stories, which otherwise tend to go on and on and on.) Hyacinth has a magical power- her problem is she floats, so her parents keep her inside and weigh her down with a heavy crown (which shows kids being a princess isn't so great after all.) She has a crush on a boy who flies a kite, but she's not sure if he likes her or not. One day, she's outside and sees a bunch of baloons. She takes off her clothes, except for her royal underwear, and the baloon guy lets her float up, holding on to her with a string. He loses his grip, and she is off- somersaulting and flying about, having a great time. But her parenst are very worried, no one can find her or get her down. Suddenly, she is tangled up in the boy's kite, and he reels her in. After that, every day she goes out and floats and every evening, the boy she loves reels her in; then they go to the palace together and have tea and popcorn. I look at this as a perfect fantasy/ metaphor for love and marriage (and one that men have written about in various ways in grown up books and actually created in the real world for ages); Hyacinth gets to go out on her own, flying and having adventures, but knows the boys she loves understands and appreciates her unique magical power and will always be there to bring her safely home. For more info on toys and products empowering to girls check out my blog [...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new family favorite!, September 27, 2011

By 

S. Simpson "i speak film" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) (Hardcover)

This hilarious tale has become a new family favorite. Not only are the story and pictures wonderful, but the typography adds to the story and makes it fun to read. I never tire of reading this book to my kiddos because it is genuinely funny and entertaining - even after reading it 500 times it still makes us all laugh. I have given it as a gift, and it is a great picture book addition to the family library.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute story, ok writing, February 5, 2010

By 

CLA 97 (Farmington Hills, MI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my 5 yr old niece. The book has lovely illustrations and very cute story, but as I was reading it with her, I realized it also has some pretty terrible grammar in places. I know that my niece probably didn't notice it, but it felt careless to me, as though the writer didn't think it was necessary to proofread for kids. Reading it out loud with her, I felt the flow of the narrative and the page breaks awkward at times. However, I think she enjoyed the story, book, and illustrations, and that matters more than my concerns!