Customer Reviews

The Wishing of Biddy Malone

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A story of achievement through hard work without bonking you on the head with it, a believable heroine, an encounter with fairies that somehow seems possible, perfectly matched illustrations. Matter of fact enough even to appeal to boys in a read-aloud (even though it's about a girl who wants to sing and dance beautifully, it's also a subtle tale about ignoring bullies if you want to reach your goal).

I should say at this point that I am an unabashed Joy Cowley fan. Whatever style she chooses to use (straight non-fic as in Red-Eyed Tree Frog, neo fairy tale as here) she completely immerses herself.

Biddy Malone has a fearsome temper. She loves to sing and dance but has no patience for the mistakes she makes or her brothers, who tease her.

One evening, "it was the soft hour between day and night," Biddy stumbles into the land of faerie. The music and dancing are wonderful and Biddy meets the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. When he offers her three wishes she asks for the ability to sing, to dance and for a loving heart to soothe her temper. Biddy returns to her world where she discovers two months have passed. Initially, her wishes do not seem to be working but she practices every day and her singing and dancing improve. Once the fairies get hold of your heart though it is hard to move on though and Biddy must find her way back to the love of her life.

This is an interesting folk tale without a tidy ending. Are our abilities the result of talent and gifts or the result of hard work and practice?

Christopher Denise has filled with book with glowing images. His colors are in the tradition of N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish and Howard Pyle. I realized I knew his artwork from the Redwall books, The Great Redwall Feast and A Redwall Winter's Tale.

Charming story that starts with a character frustrated and ends with her happy, and proud of herself for the work it took to get there. Lovely illustrations. One of my 9-year-old's favorites; I even gave it as a gift to a grown-up girlfriend since it speaks to our conversations over the years about getting to that state of happiness.

This story unfolds like a traditional fairy tale.Biddy wants to sing and dance,but she just can't overcome her clumsiness or her temper at herself.When she stumbles upon a fairy village,she meets a beautiful fairy boy,"a loveling",who dances with her and seems to promise to grant her wishes.The encounter is brief,as are the effect it has upon her singing and dancing,but the memory of it sticks with Biddy.Using the memory of the fairy music and how she danced with the boy,she practices nonstop for the next few years,and eventually blossoms into a young woman whose skill makes her popular with the local gentlemen.Biddy can't forget the beautiful loveling,though,and it costs her several potential husbands.Finally,Biddy gets fed up with the seeming emptiness of the promises the fairies gave her and confronts the fairy boy,telling him that she got her wishes but had to do all the work herself.The loveling points out that he"never said he would grant her wishes,just that they would be hers".Biddy realizes that it wasn't fairy magic that made her dance and sing so well,but her own confidence gained from the one night of dancing and all her hard work.She learns that her skills are worth more to her because of her hard work to gain them,and wins the hand of the fairy boy,teaching the reader a nice lesson about solving one's problems for oneself.

It's a good message compared to lots of other fairy tales,and a valuable lesson on self-reliance and self-confidence for children.The one thing readers might take issue with is something that was pointed out to me when I lent the book to a professor of mine to read to her grandchildren:Biddy eventually leaves her family and her whole world behind to live with the fairies,something that might not sit well with some readers.I think it's an interesting point for discussion,though;readers don't have to agree with the character's decisions in a book,and talking with your child about how the story could have ended differently can lead to some valuable discussion.

Otherwise,I mostly like the illustrations,but they tend to sway between beautiful,spot-on depictions of rural Irish life that suit the story well,or close misses that leave a little to be desired.Overall,though,the illustrations are highly enjoyable,as is the book in general.The narrative's use of light dialect for flavor adds a richness to the storytelling,the illustrations are mostly gorgeous,and the lesson is a valuable one for young readers.I highly reccomend it!

This is my favorite picture book for children(7-10). The story is well crafted and the illustrations are magnificent. Joy Crowley spins an fantasy tale about a stubborn Irish girl (Biddy) who is miserable until one day when she enters a fairy kingdom and is given three wishes to be granted by the fairy king.
Biddy's life changes after her journey to fairy land but not the way you would expect, give it a read, there is a message for all.
A great story anytime but especialy on St. Patricks Day.