The Three Princes by Eric A. Kimmel

Image Credit: Amazon.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Eric. 1994. The Three Princes. Ill. by Leonard Everett Fisher. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 082341115X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this Middle Eastern folktale, a wise and beautiful princess must find a prince to marry. Three eligible princes that she likes happen to be cousins to each other. Two of the princes, Fahad and Muhammed, are wealthy but not necessarily young or good looking. The third prince, Prince Mohsen, is younger than the other two princes and handsome, but he is poor. He is the man the princess would like to marry, but her chief minister is displeased with her choice. To prove that Mohsen is a worthwhile candidate, the princess sends the three princes on a yearlong mission to find and bring back the rarest item they can find. As the year comes to an end, the three princes meet and discuss their treasures. Prince Muhammed possesses a crystal ball. Prince Fajad has a magic carpet, and Prince Mohsen has an orange that can cure any sickness including a deadly one. Using the crystal ball, the princes discover that the princess is on her death bed. Since time is crucial, the three princes use the magic carpet to reach the princess quickly and give her the healing orange to save her life. All three gifts played a role in curing the princess. Using her wisdom, the princess chooses her fiancé.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is well written with clear descriptions and easy to understand dialogs. The illustrations are large and colorful and have a soft, blurred look about them. Leonard Everett Fisher, the illustrator, uses reflective lighting and dark shading that creates depth and timeliness to his work. The pictures clearly reflect the Middle Eastern culture. One of the pages that precedes the title page features a magic flying carpet that has its storytelling roots in the Middle East, and the crescent and star that are also present in the picture are shapes used in several of the Middle Eastern flags. The princes don long traditional white thawbs covered by a bisht, and they wear a white keffiyeh upon their heads. The keffiyeh is held in place with a thick cord called the agal. The clothing is indicative of the Middle Eastern culture. This is a wonderful story with a wise ending that would appeal to children and adults.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “A welcome addition that deserves to become a read-aloud standard.”
Publishers Weekly: “A sprightly retelling with ambient artwork that shimmers with wisdom and magic"
Kirkus: “A smooth, accessible adaptation, much enhanced by the spare, powerful art.”
Booklist: Kimmel uses the familiar fairy-tale construct, but his telling has precision and a bouyancy that gives the story wonderful life.


5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used to introduce a social studies unit on the Middle East.
• Use with other tales from the Middle East.
Kimmel, Eric. THE TALE OF ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP: A STORY FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. ISBN 0823409384
Johnson-Davies, Denys. GOHA THE WISE FOOL. ISBN 0399242228
Van Woerkom, Dorothy. ABU ALI: THREE TALES OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ISBN 0027913104