A wise and beautiful princess must choose between three princely suitors in this Arab folktale, sending them on a quest to find the most wondrous thing, and declaring that she shall marry the one who returns with the greatest treasure of all. After a year's travel, the three princes (who are also cousins) meet up and compare their finds: Prince Muhammed has found a crystal ball that can show anything in the world, Prince Fahad a magical flying carpet, and Prince Mohsen a fragrant orange that can cure any illness. Together, these extraordinary objects allow the princes to discover that the princess is sick, to travel to her side, and to cure her. But this leaves the original question: who should the princess marry...?

According to Eric A. Kimmel's author's note, the story in The Three Princes: A Tale from the Middle East is one that can be found in many countries in the region, although the variant he first heard was retold to him by students from Saudi Arabia. It is apparently a story that was included in later versions of that fabulous collection of tales known as The Arabian Nights. Leaving aside its origins, this is a story that felt very familiar to me, as the central structure - three brothers (or cousins, in this case) being sent on a quest, and then meeting up again - is one I have seen in tales from many folk traditions. I enjoyed the telling here, and appreciated the conclusion, in which the princess gives her hand, not to the one who has brought the greatest wonder - how, after all, is she to decide such a thing? - but to the one who sacrificed his wonder. The accompanying artwork from Leonard Everett Fisher, who also illustrated Kimmel's Don Quixote and the Windmills, The Hero Beowulf and The Spotted Pony: A Collection of Hanukkah Stories, was striking, but a little dark, and I struggled to make out some of the details. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers interested in Arab lore. ( )

A wise and beautiful princess searches for a prince to marry in this Middle Eastern tale. Once she finds three worthy princes, she sends them on a journey to see which one she should choose. In the end the result of their journey determines which prince is chosen. The background of each picture is dark and shadowy. This allows readers to focus on the characters, who are very colorful and stand out against the background. I enjoyed reading this story. It was interesting to follow the princes' journey and find out which prince the princess would choose in the end. ( )

This is a great folk tale about sacrifice and the pursuit of love. I thought that this story was going to be predictable the whole way through, but by the end I felt like a little kid wondering which prince was going to get the princess. I think this is a classic tale full of meaningful wisdom that will be able to impact generations of people. ( )

Author Eric A. Kimmel's The Three Princes- A Tale from the Middle East is has the style of an journey mixed with a love story. The three cousins who are princes have a brotherly feel to them. Even though all are after the hear of the princess, they continue to care for one another. This is something that has veen missed in a number of recent stories where the family squabble and look to sabotage one another. This gives the tale a close family feel, despite what theyou seek. The story's dialogue seems somewhat, 'Americanized' in the way the majority of the characters speak for a Middle Eastern story. I expected a bit more of the culture to be involved in it. But that's just my own epectations, which shouldn't be assumed. The culture did make its way in it with the princess' chief minister wanting her to marry one of the wealthy princes. The princess' heart wants Prince Mohsen; the poorest of the three. The two seemed to have had a classic love at first sight description of their initial meeting. So the story finds a way to keep that love along with a theme behind the princes journey. The princes who went out in the world for a year to return with the best gift for the princess to win the opportunity to marriage. Love cannot be based on money; it is a gift, and it's one Prince Mohan recieved for his is seflessness. ( )

Many seek to marry the princess, but she likes three princes the best, and one, Prince Mohsen, is who she wants to marry. But he is poor and so she gives him a chance to find riches by sending the three princes out to find rare things on their travels. She will marry the one who returns with the greatest wonder. One prince finds a crystal ball that can tell what is happening anywhere in the world, another finds a flying carpet that can transport riders in a flash, and Prince Mohsen finds an orange that can cure any illness. Through the crystal ball, the princes learn that the princess is dying of an illness. They ride to the palace on the flying carpet and there she is cured after eating the orange. She agrees to marry the prince most responsible for her recovery. An argument ensues among the doctors, courtiers, and the wazir about which prince it should be. The princess finally determines that Prince Mohsen gave up the most to save her life because he no longer has gift.