This book is a favourite of June 2011 Guest Editor Michael Morpurgo:
"This was the first story, I think, that ever made me cry. What was
strange was that I wanted to read it over and over again. It still has
the power to make me cry."
Sally Grindley, December 2010 Guest Editor also chose The Happy Prince:
"This is one of those tales that haunts you long after it has ended.
It’s beautifully narrated, timeless and ‘placeless’ and full of hidden
messages. The Prince is a golden statue with precious stones for eyes.
When Swallow perches on him on her way to Egypt, he asks her to
distribute his eyes and gold to all the poor people he sees below him.
Swallow takes pity on him when he has lost finery and decides to stay
with him over the winter… The tale is haunting me again now, many years
after I first read it."
In these delightful tales, Oscar Wilde employs all his grace, artistry and wit. The Happy Prince tells of the statue of a once pleasure-loving Prince which, with the help of a selfless Swallow helps people in distress.
As well as The Nightingale and the Rose, The Devoted Friend and The Remarkable Rocket, this collection contains The Selfish Giant, a remarkable story of the redemptive power of love.
A gifted poet, playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in 19th century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow mindedness.
Wilde is immortalised through his works, and the stories he wrote for children such as "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant" are still vibrant in the imagination of the public.
