Jane Ray’s sparkling, jewel-like illustrations are the perfect match for Diane Hofmeyr’s story, part fairytale, part history, set in 13th century Venice. Daniela is the daughter of one of Venice’s famous glassmakers and to her father’s dismay she’s always glum. Desperate to cheer her up he offers a glass palace to anyone who can make her smile. Fire eaters, mask makers, trumpet players, even sausage stringers try and fail, until a young glassmaker creates a beautiful looking glass, a new invention. Seeing her gloomy face in the mirror, Daniela smiles then laughs uproariously, and soon the whole city joins in. A satisfying story with a lesson for us all, and the scenes of Venice, people and palaces, are beautiful. ~ Andrea Reece
Daniela, the glassmaker's daughter, is grumpy and never smiles. Her father promises a beautiful glass palace to anyone who can make her laugh. People come from far and wide to try their luck in amusing Daniela. But mask makers, lion tamers and magicians cannot raise a smile from the princess. It is only when a young apprentice makes the first looking glass that Daniela learns to smile - at her own grumpy reflection! The glass palace splinters to smithereens from the sound of Daniela's laughter, and the whole of Venice rejoices.
Dianne Hofmeyr grew up next to the sea, on the southern tip of Africa, and has travelled just about everywhere in Africa since. Her father was a mapmaker - helping her to plot not only the stars and unfamiliar terrain but also the texture and smell of new experiences. Her writing is a result of journeys with notebook and camera through places like Eygpt, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. Her teenage fiction has won the prestigious M-Net Book prize, judged with adult fiction, the Sanlam GOLD for Youth Literature (twice), the Sanlam SILVER award, the YOUNG AFRICA AWARD, an IBBY HONOURS BOOK award and a YOUNG AFRICA award. In South Africa, 'The Waterbearer' has won the M.E.R. award and is currently shortlisted for the Sunday Times Book of the Year.
