The Three Princes of Serendip: New Tellings of Old Tales for Everyone

posted on January 23, 2022 by Eve Panzer

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 Book Review

The Three Princes of Serendip: New Tellings of Old Tales for Everyone
Told by: Rodaan Al Galidi
Translated by: Laura Watkinson
Illustrated by: Geertje Aalders

I received a physical copy of The Three Princes of Serendip: New Tellings of Old Tales for Everyone by Rodaan Al Galidi, translated by Laura Watkinson, and illustrated by Geertje Aalders from Candlewick Press.

The Three Princes of Serendip is a collection of stories the author heard as a child in Iraq. Every culture has folk tales that have been passed down to teach each new generation about their community’s customs, values, and beliefs. But as the author of The Three Princes of Serendip points out, folk tales cross borders and take on elements from the new community they enter. So, although the author heard them in Iraq, some of the stories had their origins in other countries. The author states in the book’s introduction, “Stories belong to everyone and are for everyone.” It is in tales that we find the commonalities among humankind.

There are stories for readers of varied interests in this collection. Animal lovers will enjoy stories featuring a lion, wolf, fox, rooster, bull, donkey, partridge, turtle, scorpion, and even an ant and a cockroach. Settings include forests, cities, deserts, oases, islands, and mountains. The parade of characters includes princes, woodcutters, farmers, sheiks, queens, servants, wealthy, poor, old, young, wise, and unwise.

The tales are short but chock full of vivid characters and engaging stories, where humor sometimes plays a role, and a moral lesson is often taught. To illustrate the wide range of these tales, here are a few storylines the reader will encounter. First, a queen and the young girl who rose to the rank of a lady in waiting are at odds over the disappearance of a grand necklace, leading to the young girl realizing that riches do not equal happiness. Second, there is a dispute between an ant and a cockroach about whether hard work and preparation are more important than doing something that makes you happy. Next, an arrogant rooster learns he is not as indispensable as he thinks. Finally, a father, a son, and their donkey learn there are many opinions out in the world, but what matters most is what makes you happy.

Using only cut pieces of paper, the illustrator weaves the stories into a rich tapestry of exquisite detail. The reader is delightfully drawn into the different worlds of each tale. The images are realistic in depiction, but the inventive use of colorful paper gives them a whimsical, fanciful feel.

The collection of stories and illustrations in The Three Princes of Serendip offers a delightful package and is highly recommended to add diversity to any collection.

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Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year!

This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
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