![]() ![]() Lowry draws on wicked humor, sly wordplay and stock characters to propel this pleasantly predictable romp. Princess Patricia Priscilla has a mind of her own, and she wants to use it. And the princess is supposed to choose one as a husband at her sweet 16. In this case, there's a princess and three revolting suitors, hand-picked by the clueless king and queen. There might be a few lapses of logic here and there, but Schlitz has created a satisfying original fairy tale.įairy tale elements get reworked in The Birthday Ball, by Lois Lowry, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer (Houghton Mifflin 186 pages $16 ages 8-12). ![]() The storytelling is carefully paced, and the 12 delicately detailed color plates are as old-fashioned as the values of courage and compassion that give depth to the action. ![]() Magic and moxie render Flory a resourceful survivor who grows beyond self-interest to become a selfless soul in the tradition of the spider of Charlotte's Web fame. (The goal: No more night attacks.) New challenges await her in the sunshine of a seemingly idyllic garden also populated with danger and the endangered. Left nearly wingless, thanks to a hungry but ultimately remorseful bat, Flory decides to go daytime. ![]()
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