The magic ball of string by Chelsea Hardi. Illus. by Olya Badulina

The front cover will draw any young girl into the story immediately, with the beautiful princess upon the white horse, and the castle in the background. The illustrations throughout the book capture all the subtleties of the story.

This Australian, seven-year-old, author has done an amazing job at storytelling. Being aware of this fact may encourage other budding storytellers out there, knowing that if someone else can do it, they can too.

The story revolves around a family of three daughters and their father, the king of the land. The princesses want to travel and explore the kingdom with him, rather than stay at home. They certainly have an adventure they weren’t expecting! They each find themselves alone and worried for each other. The king issues orders for every abled man to help look for his three daughters. Being as loved as they are throughout the kingdom, they all agreed politely.

I thought the story would be all about a magic ball of string, however, the magic ball of string is not mentioned until towards the end of the story. I was a bit disappointed with this story until I found out the age of the author, and this is what will probably draw other readers to pick up the book.

Themes: Fairytales.

Natalie Fisher