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Summary
Summary
A wise tale of a little princess who wanted the moon and got it. "Grown-ups themselves will find the book hilariously funny. . . . The lovely, squiggly illustrations in color are exactly right."--The New Yorker
Author Notes
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Thurber was blinded in one eye in a childhood accident. He attended Ohio State University but left without earning a degree. In 1925 he moved to New York City, where he joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1927 at the urging of his friend E. B. White. For the rest of his lifetime, Thurber contributed to the magazine his highly individual pieces and those strange, wry, and disturbing pen-and-ink drawings of "huge, resigned dogs, the determined and sometimes frightening women, the globular men who try so hard to think so unsuccessfully." The period from 1925, when the New Yorker was founded, until the death of its creator-editor, Harold Ross, in 1951, was described by Thurber in delicious and absorbing detail in The Years with Ross (1959).
Of his two great talents, Thurber preferred to think of himself primarily as a writer, illustrating his own books. He published "fables" in the style of Aesop (see Vol. 2) and La Fontaine (see Vol. 2)---usually with a "barbed tip of contemporary significance"---children's books, several plays (two Broadway hits, one successful musical revue), and endless satires and parodies in short stories or full-length works. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," included in My World---and Welcome to It (1942), is probably his best-known story and continues to be frequently anthologized. T. S. Eliot described Thurber's work as "a form of humor which is also a way of saying something serious."
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Reillustrating a classic is a dicey proposition. On the one hand, publishers run the risk of alienating readers loyal to the original interpretation; but on the other, there's the opportunity to captivate new readers with a fresh artistic vision. The track record for re-illustrations is mixed as well, but in this case, the verdict is unequivocal: success. A Caldecott Medalist himself, Simont proves a noble successor to Louis Slobodkin, and his buoyant watercolors, full of poignancy and subtle merriment, more than do justice to Thurber's beloved tale of a princess who asks for the moon, and the wise jester who presents her with it. Even staunch traditionalists will find it hard to resist this new version. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
ames Thurber's lovely, mystical story has been reissued with new illustrations. The King's efforts to grant the ailing Princess Lenore's wish to own the moon are frustrated, but the wisdom of the Court Jester and the Princess Lenore herself bring the story to a happy conclusion. The delicate, charming pictures are perfect expressions of the magic and humor of the tale. See illustration on the cover of this 'Guide'. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Thurber's classic story of the sick princess Lenore who asks her father for the moon (for this alone will maker her better) is reillustrated by Marc Simont in a beautifully bound edition. First published in 1943 with art by Louis Slobodkin, Thurber's story is universal and timeless in all aspects: from the characterization of the king (power) and his advisers (power seekers) to the honest relationship between the child and the fool. Endorsed by Thurber's daughter, in her introduction ("So, here's to change!"), Simont's pastel watercolors explore Thurber's talents in a bright, refreshing interpretation. And of course, both children and adults will delight in the satisfaction of a story well told. ~--Kathryn LaBarbera
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-- Although the Caldecott-winning edition illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (HBJ, 1943) is the one that many parents and librarians grew up with, this new full-color version by Simont has a charm of its own. His illustrations are more modern in appearance, although the essentially periodless style of dress on the characters has the timeless look that this literary fairy tale demands. Backgrounds are generally sketchy, giving the characters center stage. The clever Jester, dressed in fool's motley, is still the only one of the King's advisors who has the sense to ask Princess Lenore just what she expects when she asks for the moon. The pompous Lord High Chamberlain, the skatty Wizard, and the absent-minded Mathematician are as helpless as ever, and the little princess with her common sense and gap-toothed smile is charming. This will delight a whole new generation of children. --Rosanne Cerny, Queens Borough Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The 1944 Caldecott winner is delightfully reillustrated by another Caldecott medalist. Slobodkin's facile impressionistic line is replaced by Simont's gentle caricatures--less elegant, perhaps, but a fine way to introduce this splendid, rather long story to new readers. Libraries will want to have both editions. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
