#516 of 1001 · December 29, 2021

A captivating Italian fairy tale indeed is The Canary Prince by Eric Jon Nones. An envious queen contrives to have her stepdaughter banished to a castle tower deep in the forest. There the princess dwells in isolation until she and a passing prince fall for each other from afar. A friendly witch sees the young lovers’ plight and conjures a book that allows the princess to change the prince into a canary and back, so that he can fly up to her tower room and visit her. The queen, however, becomes suspicious and sets a trap at the window, gravely wounding the prince. Now the princess hatches a daring plan, throwing on disguises and eavesdropping on witches in the dark in order to cure her beloved. Nones spent a year in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship preparing his graceful translation and conducting research for his splendid illustrations. Particularly stunning are the wicked queen’s extravagant crowns, hennins, and escoffions. #prince #princess #queen #witch #bird #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks