The first thing I notice when flipping through this book is the illustrations. They are beautiful depictions of a land that has seen rough times. I love it because nothing is perfect. The houses are slanted, slightly worn, and mismatched in color. There is always something different that will catch your eye. At the same time the illustrations are not overly bright or to fanciful.

This story is about 3 sisters who are in line for ruler of their kingdom. Both older sisters seem slightly vain and only seem to care about themselves. Predictable in that fact, but children never care about the predictability of a story. The youngest you would think would have an idea that will quickly put her above her sisters. However, she is down to earth and humble and admits to not knowing what to do; that her sisters could come up with a far better idea. Then she pulls out the box she chose to remember her mother by. From there the story goes on to talk about how she made the kingdom better and how her father chose her as new ruler. I loved that it wasn't perfect and that even though we knew the outcome we also didn't get what we were fully expecting. It's a nice reminder that good things can come from small unexpected things. ( )

Completely lovely. ( )

Totally predictable story, but nice nonetheless. And I loved the fresh illustrations, especially the silhouette near the end. ( )

This picture book tells the tale of three princesses in line for the throne. The littlest princess shows that hard work and the caring of others will get you far in life. I think the lesson in this fairytale is far better then most.

In this gorgeous original fairy-tale from English author/artist Jane Ray, an elderly king - weighed down by sorrow after the death of his wife - proclaims that, of his three daughters, his kingdom will go to the one who makes the greatest 'mark' on their land. Suzanna, the clever eldest, decides to build a massive wooden tower, in order to demonstrate her importance; while Miranda, the vain middle one, builds a metal tower to mirror her beauty. It is the youngest daughter, humble Serenity, who has no idea what to do, who triumphs in the end, however, using her mother's box of blessings to transform the land itself into a lush paradise...

Visually stunning - as usual with her books, I loved Ray's artwork here, with its beautiful colors, golden accents, and mosaic-like sensibility - and boasting an appealing tale, The Apple-Pip Princess is structured like a traditional tale (three sisters, a competition, etc.), but imparts a very contemporary ethic of caring for the environment. I appreciated the message, and the fact that it was embedded in an entertaining story, I appreciated the fact that the royal family here are of African descent/appearance (one can't describe them as being "African-American," as I have seen some reviewers do, as this is not, of course, an American book), and I simply loved the artwork! All in all, a top-notch picture-book, one I recommend to all young fairy-tale lovers, and to fans of Jane Ray. ( )