An original tale that follows classic tropes of orphan servant, cruel princess, and kind animals (in this case, giraffes), and the power of music to heal the soul of both singer and listener. Watercolor and ink illustrations. ( )

Delphine worked as a servant girl in Queen Theodora's palace on the savannah. Although she had no friends or family, and had to work very hard, she found comfort in her singing. Then Princess Beatrice came to live with her aunt, the queen, and Delphine hoped she would make a friend. When the royal newcomer proved a rotten annoyance instead, our heroine poured all of her grief into song, finding an unusual source of comfort when a group of giraffes were drawn to her music. Through their visit, Delphine resolved her difficulties with Princess Beatrice, and won a wonderful new role in the palace...

An original fairy-tale set on the African savannah, one in which the servant girl plays the heroine, rather than the princess, The Song of Delphine presents a sweet, heartwarming story about a young girl who uses her talent to remain strong and hopeful, in the face of life's difficulties. The illustrations, done in ink and watercolor, capture the charm of Delphine's surroundings. I found the giraffes particularly winsome! Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about the power of song, the importance of kindness and forgiveness, and/or fairy-tales with an African setting. ( )

This is an odd, sweet story but it definitely grows on you.

Delphine is a servant in the palace and an orphan. She lifts her spirits by singing but is excited when the Princess Beatrice arrives, thinking she will finally have a friend her age. Unfortunately, Beatrice turns out to be a cruel, selfish girl and makes Delphine's life even more miserable. But Delphine still has her music and her voice carries her into a magical adventure one night. When dawn arrives the next day, things seem to be worse than ever but Delphine's music eventually brings her a happy ending.

I love the beautifully textured and detailed illustrations. There are plenty of serious moments in the art, but also comical faces and light-hearted humor. I especially loved the giraffes. There is a softness and warmth to the pictures, shown in Delphine's blurred hair and the simple but effective scenes that combine the delicate textures and details of the art created by dots with the gentle colors and swatches of earth-hued colors.

The story is pure wish-fulfillment and admittedly borders on saccharine. Delphine goes from rags to riches with no thought for what poor servant will take her place or for the realities of her situation (poor servant girls don't generally get out of dungeons). The text is lengthy and rather cloying in places. However, the art is so delightful and the story just the kind of soothing, happy ending that children will love to listen to over and over again before bed.

Verdict: This is different, but a delightful addition to any collection. Hand it to fans of princesses, giraffes, and read it aloud for older kids in storytimes about music.

ISBN: 9780763670016; Published 2015 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This unusual and imaginative story by author and illustrator Kenneth Kraegel is about two lonely girls who live in a palace “in the far reaches of the wild savannah.” One of these young girls is Delphine, an orphan and servant girl for Queen Theodora. She is very sad and lonely, and sings to lighten her load.

The second little girl is Princess Beatrice, a niece of the queen, who has been sent to live with the Queen because she didn’t get along with her new stepmother.

Delphine is excited to have a girl her own age come to the palace, but Beatrice is turns out to be a mean, snobby bully who breaks a mirror and then threatens to tell the Queen that Delphine was the guilty party. Again, Delphine sings, this time at night, “with heavy, worried tears.”

To Delphine’s delighted surprise, a dozen friendly giraffes, attracted by her singing, come and take her out from her window and into the savannah.

Alas, she feels obliged to ask them to take her back, and they return her - but not to her own window, rather to Beatrice’s! Beatrice was livid, but then Delphine noticed a picture of Beatrice’s mother by her bedside, and understood that Beatrice must be lonely too. So she sang for her.

The next day, Delphine was brought before the queen, and told that from then on, she would not be a servant, but would be the court singer.

Beatrice apologized to Delphine: “Thank you for being so kind, even when I have been so cruel.” Delphine then offered to take Beatrice out with the giraffes, and they happily explored the night, together.

The vivid and simply-drawn watercolor-and-ink artwork by Kraegel enchanted me from the very first page. This is a magical book that teaches some positive lessons. ( )

Lonely servant girl finds comfort and joy in music. ( )