The Three Kings: A Tale from the Middle East

Name: The Three Kings: A Tale from the Middle East
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrator: Leonard Everett Fisher
Publisher: Holiday House
Published City: New York, New York
Publication date:1994
ISBN: 0-8234-1115-X

Summary

The Arab Princess is as wise as she is beautiful,but she has a problem. She needs to get married and she cannot decide between three cousins: Prince Fahad, Prince Muhammed, and Prince Moshen. She loved Prince Moshen, but he was a poor Prince with nothing to offer her. The Chief Minister did not like her decision because Moshen had nothing, so she gave him and his two cousins a chance for her hand in marriage. She gave them one year to find "the greatest wonder", and whichever cousin found it would receive her hand in marriage. The cousins started off together and then went off in three directions. A year later they returned to the place where they split off to find their wonder. Prince Muhammed had brought back a crystal ball from distant Hadramaut that he could use to see what is happening anywhere in the world. Prince Fahad brought back a flying carpet from Egypt. Prince Moshen brought back an orange from the shores of the Great Sea. The others laughed at his orange, but it was a special orange. The orange could cure any illness, even when the person was dying. While sitting togther Prince Moshen wondered aloud how the princess was doing. Together they looked into Prince Muhammed's crystal ball and found out the Princess was not well. In fact, she was dying. They all hopped on Prince Fahad's flying carpet and flew to the princess's palace. There Prince Moshen gave her his orange and she was restored. It was time to make a decision. All three wonders helped save her life, but which one would she choose? Every courtier had their opinion, but she choose Prince Moshen. While all had helped save her life, it was Prince Moshen who gave up all he had to save her.

Review
The tale of the Three Princes can be found in The Arabian Nights. The tale has all of the elements of a Disney tale: a princess who wants a poor prince, a flying carpet, a crystal ball, and a cure for any disease. The real difference in the story is that it does not transform anyone into something they are not. The princess is always wise and Prince Moshen will always be poor.

Young children will love the story of the wise princess who does not listen to the cheif priests tell her what to do, but uses solid reasoning to choose her prince. Children will be happy that she chose her poor prince who gave all he had to save the princess. Love triumphs over all, and everyone is happy at the end.

The chalk drawings add the air of mystery and enchantment to the tale. In the notes about the book, illustrator Leonard Everett Fisher tells how he wanted to recreate the essence of the Arab world. The chalk drawings on a black board have a graininess to them that reminds the reader of the desert sand that inhabits the Arab countries.

The reader only sees the face of the wise and beautiful princess when she is on her death bed. The moon in all of the pictures is a cresent, the symbol of the Muslim culture. There are shades of the royal color of purple throughout the book. The flying carpet is purple, the blankets on the Prince's camels are purple, pillows on the Princess's bed is purple, and in one of the illustrations the sky has a purple hue.

Professional Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Three cousins compete to find an object wondrous enough to win the hand of a princess--and end up saving her life. "A sprightly retelling with ambient artwork that shimmers with wisdom and magic," said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-A wise and beautiful princess is wooed by three princes. Two are men of wealth and renown, while the third, Mohsen, possesses "little more than his handsome face, his cloak, and his camel." It is he, of course, whom she wishes to marry. To give him a chance to compete with them, she sends them all on a quest, vowing to marry the one who returns with the greatest wonder. The first finds a crystal ball; the second, a flying carpet; Mohsen, a curative orange. On their return journey, the men see tragedy in the crystal ball-the princess is dying. The carpet whisks them back to the princess, and Mohsen feeds her his orange. She is saved, but still the question remains-which prince should she marry? She chooses Mohsen because he has sacrificed his treasure for her. Storytellers familiar with Virginia Tashjian's With a Deep Sea Smile (Little, 1974; o.p.) or Harold Courlander's The King's Drum & Other African Stories (Harcourt, 1962; o.p.) will recognize this as a variant of the African story, "The Search." But where these earlier versions leave the final question unresolved, Kimmel's tale provides a satisfying conclusion. His smooth narrative is strong and direct-traditional in structure, but with a fresh, contemporary voice. Dark underpainting and dense blocks of bold color give Fisher's illustrations weight and dimension, while his dramatic use of light focuses the eye effortlessly through the pictures. A welcome addition that deserves to become a read-aloud standard.
Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL

Connections

Have students get in groups of three or four and have them look at other tales in 1001 Arabian Nights and turn them into Children's books. They must do extra research, and they cannot use Aladdin.
Have students continue the stories of how Prince Fahad and Prince Muhammed found other princess's to marry.
Have students brainstorm which of the three wonders they would have chosen and the many things they could have done with it. In this case, the orange can be sliced and each slice will heal.