#598 of 1001 · March 21, 2022

If it’s a modern take on love and power in a fairy tale idiom you’re after, look no further: here is The King’s Equal, written by Katherine Paterson and illustrated by Vladimir Vagin. With his father near death, Prince Raphael stands to inherit the throne and rule his country. However, the old king makes an unexpected final decree: the prince may not wear the royal crown until he marries a woman his equal in beauty, intelligence, and wealth. Try as they might, the royal councilors cannot produce a bride that the haughty Raphael deems worthy. Meanwhile, the young man initiates a selfish and tyrannical reign, caring little for his people’s wellbeing. Far away, across the kingdom, a poor farmer’s daughter named Rosamund ekes out a meager living in an old goatherd’s shack. One day she encounters a sentient wolf who gives her a magic circlet and bids her go to the capital city and present herself as a candidate to be the new queen. After passing the required tests of beauty, intelligence, and wealth, she boldly observes that she has outshone the king—if a wedding is to take place, he must now prove himself her equal. In a stunning reversal, Raphael journeys to Rosamund’s old home in the mountains and learns honest work and compassion from the wolf, while Rosamund remains in the capital and works to undo the damage of Raphael’s wanton cruelty. At the end of one year’s time, the two are reunited and accept each other as wise and loving equals. In a light fantasy setting, Paterson’s insightful text and Vagin’s stately art combine for a quietly radical treatment of court politics and gender relationships. #king #prince #wolf #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks