‘The City of Ys’ by Colin Deeny reminded me of the Grimm fairy Tales. A parable about what happens when a young princess is never told no by her doting father. I liked the illustrations throughout, they are colourful and quite abstract in places and I think that they will be very interesting for young readers as they go through the story. The storyline itself flows well and is written in language that will be easy for younger readers to understand.
It says in the synopsis that ‘The City of Ys’ is a traditional Breton Tale that has been adapted for children and I would be interested in more of these adaptations. The mixture of fairy tale and parable is a classic in children’s fiction and I enjoyed the nostalgia of this mixed in with a story that I had never heard before.
Although for me I think the book is perhaps missing a final summary sentence, or some sense of learning from the events in the plot, I think that this book is an entertaining read for any child who has a love of the classic fairy tales, as I did when I was younger.
King Gradlon loves his daughter, Princess Dahut, more than anything. He loves her so much that he will give her anything she wants. Everybody does as the princess commands, because everybody wants to make her happy. But the princess becomes spoiled and thinks no one is more important than her.When the king builds a walled city on the seashore for Princess Dahut, she is pleased with her lavish new castle. It has gold and marble and beautiful views of the ocean. Despite all her riches, there is still something special the princess is determined to have, but it could be the one thing that she can never own.
