Melisande

This is a convoluted fairy tale with the warning that magic has rules, and it is important to watch the manner of the magical wish. Be aware that what you wish may come true, but not in the exact way in which you like, or may have intended.

In this tale the King and Queen have a baby, and remembering what happens in fairytale when someone is forgotten and seeks revenge, the King and Queen think they will invite no one and thus everyone will be offended. However when word gets out that a child was born and none were invited, the wishes are not what was hoped for.

The eldest fairy in the highest social position begins by saying the Princess will be bald. Stopping the other fairies from evil wishes, he warns all will be cursed. And, alas the show more Princess Melisande was bald. Her father, the King remembered that he has one wish locked away. He gives that wish to Melisande, who in turn wishes for golden hair a yard long, and would grow and inch every day. And, if the hair was cut, it would grow twice as fast ever time it was cut.

The hair grew so rapidly, it was a curse and not a pleasure. When Prince Florizel approached the castle window he cut off the hair, but now instead of the hair growing, the Princess grew up and up and up.

I found this tale to be confusing and uninteresting. show less

I this this is one of my all-time favorite fairy tales. Its so wry and funny and the illustrations are great. This is the same illustrator as When Jessie Came Across the Sea and The King of Ireland's Son. Princess Melissande is cursed at birth by an evil fairy to be bald, she uses up a wish to grow too much hair and the prince who tries to help her ends up making her hair stop growing but making Melisander herself grow at a fantastic rate.

Another one that I'd read as a child.

The Fairy Christening Curse strikes again! This princess' family tried to avoid it by inviting NO fairies to the party, in the hopes that if no one was invited, no one could get offended. Well, that didn't work, and their darling daughter ends up cursed with baldness!

Perhaps she should've left well enough alone... because when she's later gifted a wish to cure herself, a poorly-worded request causes her to end up with more hair than the kingdom can handle. When a well-meaning prince tries to help, the kingdom ends up with more princess than it can handle!

An exceptional book about the princess Melisande, who must either have absurdly long hair or grow absurdly huge. The book's tone is perfect and blends fantasy with very real characters. The illustrations are also very nice. I strongly recommend it to others.

Cursed by an evil fairy at her christening, Princess Melisande grows up bald but finds herself facing another set of problems when her wish for golden hair is fulfilled.

Charming, humorous fairy tale with bright illustrations... P.J. Lynch is always half the reason I read his books.

Illustrated version of E. Nesbit's delightful and magical fairy tale about a princess with exponentially growing hair.