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Princess Hyacinth

(the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) /
Sep 28, 2013forbesrachel rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A floating girl can hardly live life to the fullest if she can not even leave the palace. Florence Heide seeks to teach a certain mindset to children to help them come to terms with their own differences. In this case she mostly refers to how one deals with one's own problematic traits. Every person suffers some grief from any number of disabilities, whether they be mental, physical, or emotional is irrelevant. It is how a person reacts to them that speaks to who they are. In Princess Hyacinth's case, she works with her floating rather than against it, therefore taking a negative aspect and turning it into a more positive one, even learning to enjoy her difference. In several instances the narrator speaks directly to the reader to draw special attention to how unusual these circumstances are. These remarks even include opinions that match one's own. As for the story, it follows the normal fairy tale formula: the princess is locked up, finds herself in trouble, and gets saved by a "prince". Unlike these tales, the book reinforces that real problems do not magically go away. A fantasy setting may be conducive for a perfect ending to occur, but the author has made a choice to say otherwise. This serious approach nicely counterbalances the otherwise funny nature of the narrative. Words visually match certain actions, emotions are boldly expressed on characters' faces, in contrast are the mute looks the princess gives, and the artist has a certain whimsical use in regards to colour. This fairy tale-like story has a moral that is less straightforward than some., but is no less worthy of teaching to children who are in the midst of discovering themselves.