The Happy Prince and Other Tales

by Oscar Wilde

Overview

The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of five stories: 'The Happy Prince', 'The Nightingale and the Rose', 'The Selfish Giant', 'The Devoted Friend', and 'The Remarkable Rocket'. The Happy Prince stars the statue of the Prince, who persuades a swallow to deliver his gold and jewels to the poor and needy in his city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780571355853
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Series:	Liberty Classics
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	538 KB
Age Range:	9 Years

About the Author

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. He was then educated at Oxford and came to London to pursue his literary career. He is best known for his classic adult novel The Picture of Dorian Grey and his plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest. He died in Paris on 30 November 1900.

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1854

Date of Death:

November 30, 1900

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Education:

The Royal School in Enniskillen, Dublin, 1864; Trinity College, Dublin, 1871; Magdalen College, Oxford, England, 1874

Table of Contents

The happy prince -- The nightingale and the rose -- The selfish giant -- The devoted friend -- The remarkable rocket.

Editorial Reviews

Ray's (Magical Tales from Many Lands; The Story of Christmas) folksy, gilt-laden artwork graces this somewhat formal abridgment of Wilde's tale about an enchanted statue. The Happy Prince, who had lived a happy life and died a happy man, is now immortalized high above the city as a golden and bejeweled statue. For the first time the royal sees the suffering, poverty and misery of the common people. Sharing his sympathetic view with a sparrow, the prince persuades the bird to postpone its migration and instead to deliver his gold leafing, his sapphire eyes and ruby belt to those who need them. Soon the sparrow dies of cold and the prince, now shabby, is removed from its pedestal and melted down. Though young readers may appreciate the lessons of selflessness and sacrifice here, the telling may seem to them stilted and even occasionally disjointed. Ray's characteristically rich palette and her delicate borders and backgrounds provide the visual magic that keeps this sentimental tale afloat. Ages 7-up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-Ray has done a masterful job of retelling and illustrating one of Wilde's more accessible fairy tales. Using most of the author's words and all of his intent, she has omitted the more flowery and verbose prose and subplots. The result is a tightened tale that expresses compassion in a simple, heartfelt story of a statue and a little bird. Alternating full-and double-page illustrations with panels, Ray has put enormous detail into her paintings, and each one is burnished with a kind of verdigris gold. Readers will especially appreciate the pictures that depict the wonders of Egypt. Not piteous or sentimental, The Happy Prince is a balanced tale; in fact, Leo Lionni's modern classic, Tico and the Golden Wings (Knopf, 1975), seems to revisit its universal themes.-Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY

School Library Journal

Ray presents an abridgment of Wilde's classic fairy tale in picture-book format, leaving the main story intact but eliminating recurring phrases and ideas, omitting the more literary and ironic elements, and changing the phrasing. Illuminated with shiny gold highlights, the striking, full-color artwork contrasts the extremes of wealth and poverty the prince sees about him in the city. Although the abridgment lessens the literary strength and emotional resonance of Wilde's original fairy tale, libraries may want to include this attractive version for younger children.

Carolyn Phelan