SOMEONE IS READING THIS BOOK

A prince, “handsome as most and almost as clever,” sulks because he wants to fly. A giraffe with the power to grant him three wishes does so, and by the third one he gets it right, and is made happy with a flying bicycle. This straightforward version is on the endpapers, but what’s in the pages is a rather different creature. Bea, with her round face, full skirts, and hair in a golden braid, greets readers as “you,” tells us to turn the page, and begins the story. Like the prince’s servants, Bea doesn’t like the forest, although it looks pretty benign. But the seagulls, who are supposed to pick the prince up for the first round of flying, are making a terrible racket. Bea invites readers to fly along with her to solve the problem, but gets behind in the story, and the seagulls won’t listen. She goes out in her boat, and a giant hand appears through a tear in the page, followed by the rest of the giant, who calms the gulls and thus permits the rest of the story to proceed. Bea promises that they do all live happily ever after, even though she didn’t get to tell the story properly. Die-cuts and pop-ups appear as the illustrations run like a frieze from page to page, with the text underneath. The pale, colored-pencil illustrations have a slightly sugary appearance. The whole is a bit too wobbly—a conceit that never flies. (Picture book. 5-8)