King Midas and the Golden Touch

A retelling of the ancient Greek myth of King Midas, who foolishly believed that gold was the ultimate blessing, only to learn his lesson when Dionysus gives him the gift of the "golden touch." Unable to eat golden food, or drink golden water, Midas is miserable - but when his new-found ability transforms his beloved daughter Aurelia into a golden statue, he truly knows sorrow...

Based upon the version of this story found in Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Charlotte Craft's narrative is engaging, but it is the illustrations by Kinuko Craft that truly give this picture book a magical quality. One of my favorite illustrators, Craft's work is always vibrant and richly-detailed, with a lushly romantic quality, and her show more luminous, light-filled paintings are always a delight. Although this is a classical story, Craft chooses to locate it in a more medieval setting, making it seem like more of a fairy-tale than a myth. The scene in which Midas rushes down the stairs, a wave of golden transformation fanning out behind him, is exactly the kind of picture I would have spent hours poring over as a girl. Highly recommended to folklore and mythology lovers, and to anyone who values beautifully-illustrated picture books. show less

King Midas is a classic in my mind because of the effect that it had on me as a little kid. I remember being very disturbed by the idea the first time I heard the story and the illustrations were so realistically terrifying. In my older age I can really appreciate the message of this story and the incredible illustrations that accompany it, this still holds up as a great lesson.

The myth of King Midas is one of my favourite stories from the Greek tradition, but I really enjoyed Craft's change of location to a mock-War of the Roses-era England. Greed for gold is afterall a universal problem, and the contrast of the living roases that the King's daughter loves so much is a nice nod to the English themes.

The team of charlotte and K.Y. Craft coming together to tell this ages old tale of a greedy king who can never get enough gold. Each morning, he touches the gold coins in his large chest. Knowing that he will never have enough gold no matter how much he can accumulate.

When a mysterious figure arrives in bright clothing, Midas is granted the spell of everything he touches will turn to gold. When he awakens, even his bedding is bring, beautiful gold.

When Midas eats his breakfast, every piece of his meal has turned to gold. Touching his beautiful daughter Aurelia turns her to gold as well.

Sobbing greatly, he cries for the one who put the spell upon him. When the mysterious figure tells him to go to the river that is at the edge of his show more propery and to take a vase so he can sprinkle the water all over himself.

Together, he and Aurelia celebrate life without gold.

This is a five star read, primarily for the beautiful illustrations that seem to glimmer out of the pages.

This is a story of greed and the fact that it can not bring happiness.

I will look for more books illustrated by K.Y. Craft. show less

This is a classic retelling of the story of King Midas. We learn of his love for his daughter, his love for his gold, and meet the stranger who forever changes his life by teaching him a harsh lesson. The retelling is full of detail and the illustrations are lush. A beautiful book.

This elderly tale of Midas and his insatiable lust for gold, while very familiar, is presented in an artfully exquisite fashion. The oil and watercolor murals which grace the pages capture the lavishness of Midas' twinkling treasures and the painfulness of his ill-thought of actions. Through sacrifice and misery does Midas learn of the true scope of his greed, and ultimately the realization of what is most important.

Gold was almost the most precious thing for King Midas, but he loved his daughter above everything. One day an old man slept in his garden of roses, and King Midas brought him inside the palace and gave him food. Later that night the spirit of that old man appeared to King Midas in his chamber, and rewarded Midas for his help. King Midas asked the spirit to convert everything that he touches into gold, and it happened that way. Everything was not happiness because when King Midas touched his daughter, she became a golden statue. King Midas went to cry along, and the spirit appeared. The Spirit asked him why he was not happy, and he explained why. The spirit told him to fetch water from a river, so that the water could be sprinkled on show more everything that had the golden touch. Midas did that, and his daughter was not a golden statue anymore. I enjoyed the book because of the illustrations. The illustrations have a lot of details, but most of all I enjoyed the illustration that had the roses covered with gold. The book reflects how greed can destroy one’s life. For an activity for kids I would ask them to write some sentences to describe King Midas. show less