Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated

Princess Hyacinth, in my nonprofessional opinion, should make top 100 lists of best children's picture books if for no other reason than the vocabulary and arrangement of text. For instance, on the page with the words "Princess Hyacinth floated", the words literally appear slightly cute off at the top of the page as if they were floating. This frolicsome tale contains themes of friendship, adventure, freedom, and finding yourself. After all, wouldn't these be appropriate issues for a princess who can't stay on the ground?

Princess Hyacinth suffers from loneliness because she is not allowed to play: she might float away. When she finally does get a chance, her new friendship with Boy proves to be the key to her happiness. Written in a charming style, with messages about risk-taking, specialness, and friendship.

Princess Hyacinth couldn’t keep from floating so her parents made her wear weighted clothing unless she was inside the castle where they could get her down from the ceiling. One day, she goes to the park and asks a man if she can float with his balloons. He ties a string to her and lets her float. She has fun until he lets go of her string and she floats off. She ends up getting tangled in a boy’s kite and he pulls her down to safety. They become friends and he lets her float whenever she wants and he will always be there to pull her back down.

This is a cute story and a fun read. More importantly, it is a good example of illustrated text. The illustrated varies the text from sentence to sentence to convey meaning. I think this show more would be a great book to read students within writer’s workshop so they can get new ideas for their own illustrations within their writing. show less

Florence Heide's story is written as if she is talking directly to the reader. The story is about a princess who floats and cannot stay on the ground. She just wants to be able go out and play and have fun. Eventually she finds a way to do this. The words are written in different sizes and colors that really capture the reader's attention. Lane Smith's illustrations really connect with what the author writes.

Contained within the castle walls Princess Hyacinth is bored and lonely, but she can't just walk outside for fear of floating away. Burdened with heavy jewels sewn into her clothes to keep her grounded the princess is allowed outside for a walk. She convinces a balloon man to let her float with his merchandise when all of a sudden she breaks free from the balloons and float ins in the air.

"I never thought the sky was so high" says the princess about her new adventure.

Luckily the boy with a kite is there to help her get down. And from that day on the princess is allowed to float outside however high she wants and is brought back down by the boy with a kite.

Summary:

Princess Hyacinth is a very unique princess, with a very unique problem that prevents her from playing outside like she imagines she would like to when she watches other children from her window. Princess Hyacinth is very sad, and feels the weight of her problem in the weighted clothes she must wear to prevent her from floating away. Rebelling against the rules that keep her from floating away, Hyacinth enlists the help of a balloon man to fly to her freedom. The balloon man is unable to hang on to Hyacinth and just when it seems she will float forever, she is caught up in the kite of the redheaded Boy she has been watching out her window. From that point on, Princess Hyacinth has a new friend and a way to deal with her problem show more of floating away.

Personal Reaction:

The story of Princess Hyacinth was an interesting concept, but the illustrations and the textual design made the story so much more interesting. Hidden within the illustrations were extra clues that furthered the storyline, such as the little dog that was the real reason the balloon man couldn't hold on to Princess Hyacinth. The clever play with the typeset and mix match of the words and font were interesting to see and added another dimension to the storyline. This story ends somewhat abruptly with a closed ending after following the continuous narration of Princess Hyacinth's struggle to keep her feet on the ground. My favorite part of this book was definitely the illustrations.

Classroom Extension Ideas:

1. Students can participate in a problem-solving writing prompt and come up with their own creative way to keep Princess Hyacinth's feet on the ground. Additionally students will illustrate their concept for keeping Princess Hyacinth grounded.

2. Students can participate in an application activity where different items are tested to find out if they will keep a helium filled balloon on the ground, or will be lifted off the ground (surface). Students can brainstorm to choose what items will be tested, and make predictions about what will keep the balloon "grounded" and what will "float away." show less

Lane Smith is one of my favorite illustrators. His work is so fun, and really shines alongside Heide's silly, witty text. Recommended for princesses, kite fliers, and anyone with uncommon abilities.