Oscar Wilde's moving story of the relationship between a magnificent statue and a little swallow is brought to life by Jane Ray's stunning artwork. Perched on high, the prince's statue can see all the misery of the city and begs the swallow to pluck off his gold leaf and distribute it amongst the poor. First published over one hundred years ago, the fairy tale is recognised as an enchanting masterpiece and this classic picture book is bound to be enjoyed by adults and children alike and treasured forever.
There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2006 by Hachette Children's Group .
Jane Ray is the Smarties-prize winning illustrator of over 30 books.
This book contains the following story:
The Happy Prince
After dying young, the Happy Prince's soul inhabits a beautiful ruby-encrusted statue covered in gold leaf which is perched high above the city. But when he sees the poverty, misery and desperateness of his people, he enlists the help of a barn swallow to remove the gilding of his statue and shower the riches on his people. In the spring, the townspeople are saved, but find only a stripped down and dull statue alongside a dead swallow. The remains are tossed into an ash heap, but an emissary of God recognizes their sacrifice, and escorts them into the gardens of Heaven.
