The Ordinary Princess - M. M. Kaye

Date of Reading: 18/05/2016

Author: M. M. Kaye

Illustrations: M. M. Kaye

Publisher: Puffin Books

Place: New York

Year: 1980

Rating: 4.5/5

           You could never be too old to enjoy this amazing fairy tale novella. In a world which considers external beauty synonymous with internal purity this is a novelty to cherish. As the author informs us in the foreword our fairy tale genre keeps silent on the situation of gawky, snub-nosed, mouse coloured hairy princesses. It looks like the cutey princes had eyes only for those "lissome Royal Highness with large blue eyes and yards of golden hair and probably nothing whatever between her ears!" (Blimey! Is the real life any different???) 

          So Kaye has come up with the story of Princess Amy who is gifted with ordinariness in her birth, a gift that made her free from the boring courtly life of rules and restrictions. I have never found a book so wickedly funny and even if you know how it will end (as always with all fairy tales), the narration combined with the wonderful illustrations will keep you engaged throughout the story.

    Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is the seventh princess of the kingdom of Phantasmorania. As per tradition a grand christening was scheduled as she was the seventh child and even the fairies were invited who gave her gifts of charm, courage, health etc. But the last and the most powerful of fairy godmothers gave her the gift of ordinariness and her life changed from that moment onward.

         Unlike her six beautiful elder sisters, seventh princess now called as Amy grew up as a brunette with snub nose and freckles. And unlike them she enjoyed life playing in the woods not bothered by the court life etiquette. While all the others were married off to handsome princes, no one came to seek the hand of ordinary princess, not that she was worried about it. In a desperate stage, king decides to bring a dragon to lay waste to the countryside and the prince who slays the fiery creature can be offered the hand of Amy provided that he never sets eyes on her before marriage.

         Appalled by this news Amy runs away from the palace to live in the Forest of Faraway where she makes friends with Peter Aurelious, the crow and Mr. Pemberthy, the squirrel. When her clothes get shabby and torn she obtains the job as 14th assistant kitchen maid in the castle of the king of Ambergeldar where she meets Peregrine, a man-of-all-work. They become great friends and enjoy the picnics in the forest.

         He soon finds out that she is a princess and Peregrine, it turns out to be King Algernon of Ambergelder who is as ordinary as Amy. Peregrine sends her home so that he can send a betrothal request to her parents and they are married to the great joy of everyone.

Something to ponder . . .

M. M. Kaye

". . . for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world. Not that it ever worried the Ordinary Princess" - 17

"Doing things you aren't supposed to do always seems more fun than doing things you are" - 48

Seven Little Australians - Ethel Turner

Date of Reading: 06/01/2014

Author: Ethel Turner

Publisher: Penguin 

Place: Australia

Year: 2010

Rating: 4.5/5

          Thought I have grown out of reading children's books, but we never will be. More so when the story line concerns with seven naughty ones. But be warned, these are not the peppermint children of 'Sound of Music' for the "very excellent reason that Australian children never are". Even their house bears the name 'Misrule' and that is what the story is all about; the little anarchist kingdom that runs behind a military strict father and their subsequent growth to maturity through sometimes painful experiences. 

          They might have shared a different century with the aboriginal-white discrepancy raging outside but not tampering with their blissful lives, but the delight the reading permeates remains same so much so that the sad fate of Judy wrings out hearts, and we may wish our best for Meg but surely we will miss the plump, little General from our drawing rooms. Now to the story:

         As the title suggests the protagonists of the story are seven Woolcot children - Meg, Pip, Judy, Nell, Bunty, Baby and General. They live in Sydney in the house which goes by the name Misrule with their Captain father who has little understanding of them and stepmother Esther who is only twenty so lacks the experience to handle this herd.

         They wreck havoc in the house and embarrass their parents in front of guests which of course never goes unpunished by the firm Captain. But once Judy's and Pip's little prank goes out of limits and Judy is sent to boarding school mercilessly.

         Meg gets influenced by her friend Aldith at the sweet age of sixteen and is given due training in the art of flirting. Accordingly they make acquaintance with two young men but Meg falls in love with the older, clear headed Alan who is not in the group. When one of her letters are misdealt and is wrongly delivered to Alan, he strongly reprimands her recent behaviour and faulty friendship, thus putting an end to this coquettishness. 

         Meanwhile Judy runs away from school with a burning desire to be with her siblings and they conceal her in a deserted loft. Captain eventually finds out this 'spoilt' girl but her sick state prevents him from sending her back.

Ethel Turner

        To assist Judy's recovery Esther's parents invite her with children to Yarrahappini where they spend some happy days. But an unexpected end comes all this when on a picnic day Judy is crushed to death by a falling tree, while saving the little General. Sobered by her death the family returns home wiser; Captain is determined to cherish his remaining children on account of Judy's sacrifice.

        

War Horse - Michael Morpurgo

Date of Reading: 29/03/2013

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Publisher: Egmont 

Place: London

Year:2010 (as e-book)
Rating: 3.5/5

           May be I am a little too old for children's fiction, but here we are. I have watched the Steven Spielberg movie, so thought its time to lay hands on the book too. All in all its Black Beauty gone to war; except for the introduction of  World War I, there is not much difference from Anna Sewell's work, Spielberg at least has succeeded in producing a reunion theme out of it.

           One thing puzzles me though, how can this horse understand three languages? (English, German, French). And his narrative voice is much like that of  a full grown homo sapiens, not of a horse. Pretty impressive!!! 

            Joey, the horse is narrating his life story and it begins with his separation from his mother. His master turns out to be a gentle boy, Albert, who trains him as a farm horse and also rides him well. With the outbreak of World War I, the situation changes.
            Joey is sold to the army where his superior abilities attains him much respect. A new friend -- Topthorne -- comes to life. Joey's owners (first Captain Nicholls and later Trooper Warren) gets killed in the war and soon both horses find themselves in the hands of the Germans. They are used to bring the wounded back from the battlefield.
             

           Emilie, a little French girl, becomes their guardian while they are camped at her grandfather's farm. But the friends are soon parted as the horses are taken away to pull the artillery. Topthorne dies in the no-man's land leaving Joey run for safety. He gets wounded and in a surprising turning point in the story, a soldier from both sides come to help him. They toss a coin for the ownership and the English side wins Joey.
             

He is transported to the vetenary hospital nearby where he finds his Albert waiting for him. He has joined the army for the sole sake of finding his companion. Joey is nursed through difficult times and the war too gets over. Horses are auctioned in public and Albert loses Joey to Emilie's grandfather. She is dead and Joey is the last part that is associated with her memory. Hearing about Albert's devotion to the horse, the old man hands over Joey asking him to take care of him till his life's end.
           

Michael Morpurgo

Albert returns to his farm at Devon and marries his sweetheart. Joey says she never liked him.


--- the story is adapted for screen by Steven Spielberg in 2011 and film won six Academy Award Nominations including that of Best Picture.              

Heidi

Date of Reading: 11/11/2006

Author: Johanna Spyri

Illustrations: Raymond Sheppard

Publisher: Blackie & Son Ltd

Place: London

Year: 1881(in German)

Summary:

          Heidi is a little girl of five. She is parent less and her aunt Dette has brought her up till that age. Now she is handed over to her grand father, Alm uncle. He has the reputation of a rude person but her life with him was joyful on the mountain near the village of Dorfli. Her best friend is Peter, a shepherd boy.

         One day Dette comes back and brings her back forcefully to Frankfurt; she was eight then. Heidi is appointed as a companion to the invalid child, Clara in Herr Sessmann's house. There were no beautiful sights in that town and that made her unhappy; the only consolation was Clara's grand mother who taught her to pray and read.

          Herr Sessmann has a doctor friend and he finds out that Heidi is  sleep walking due to homesickness. So at his insistence she is sent back home and her happy days returns. Grand father sends her to school on winter and they begin to go to church too.

          On that spring doctor visits their place and is enchanted by it. Next spring brings Clara and her grandma too and they stay at her hut. Peter gets jealous of Clara's friendship with Heidi and he destroys Clara's couch out of spite. This compels Clara to try walking a bit and she succeeds. Peter's crime is found out but he is forgiven as he indirectly causes the cure. Grandma promises that she will allow Peter a penny every week in her will. Herr Sessmann also gives a promise to Alm uncle that he will take after Heidi after his death.

         Doctor makes the place as his permanent residence and he and Alm uncle become great friends. He considers Heidi as his own daughter.

Rating: Excellent

Comment:

         Book brings us back to the warm feeling of childhood (not in the Eastern sense of the word 'warm'; here in India this is the peak of summer and if it gets any 'warmer', I will go mad!). If you had spent ur days as a kid in a village full of green, mixed with waterfalls, little streams and tasty food (made by ur grandma) which you have lost as a part of growing up (just like me), you would love this travel back to illusion.

        Heidi is the perfect model for the perfect children's literature; all ingredients are there as it should be:

--- a protagonist who has no streaks of evil (as its a girl, this is super perfect)

--- everyone is good and helpful and if someone does something wrong, in time it turns out to be for good.

--- glorification of village life, stressing on its curing nature (a Romantic element, following Wordsworth in prose).

         In a sense, we as humans need some of these illusions to move forward. As a soldier dreams of home, everyone has a secret desire to reach the land of peace. Literature just helps us to keep it unwithered.