Charming.

I wanted to like this more than I did, but it just didn't work for me. [a:Frank Richard Stockton|116841|Frank Richard Stockton|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1250699229p2/116841.jpg] is one of the authors that [a:Alison Lurie|2046|Alison Lurie|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1242425489p2/2046.jpg] enabled me to discover in her anthology [b:The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales|763479|The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales|Alison Lurie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178141770s/763479.jpg|1407198].

The story is gracefully told, a little predictable the way fairy tales often are. The illustrations are intriguing. The artist has great eyes and great light - I'm nowhere near legally blind but I could not tell whether the blurriness, the 'softness,' of so many scenes was intentional or an accessibility issue. I strongly believe artists and illustrators (and all designers) should run their work by Grandma before publication or production. I'm sure a lot of the charm & intent of the illustrations was lost on me. ( )

We picked this up as a library discard--we were attracted to the artwork and the fact that it came with a "cd." Well, it ended up being a DVD in which the illustrator goes into great detail about the process of illustrating the book, which is the EXACT kind of thing Morgan is into! We LOVED the dvd, and Morgan seems to have really enjoyed the story, although I thought the story was just ok.


If anyone wants this book, I'd be happy to loan it out.

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By an American innovator of new fairy tales, this story of a man's search for his true self is engaging and witty. The illustrations are very fine. ( )

A children's book for intelligent adults! Stockton wrote it more than one hundred years ago but it resonates in today's world. The bee-man is a contented person.At peace with his bees he 'walked among them, ate his meals, and went to sleep without the slightest fear of being stung.' Because a junior sorcerer declares that the Bee Man MUST have been magically transformed (why else would anyone want to live with bees?) a quest begins. Only after he discovers his 'previous self' can he be restored to it. Thereby hangs the tale!
This lovely book is a welcome counterpoint to discussions of self-identity. It is a book not to be missed! ( )