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The Magic Cane
Maria Celeste Arraras's beautifully rich tale of how three children must save an empire from its wicked ruler.
When an old woman approaches Karmelo and Moconoco, Moconoco steals her golden walking cane. He wickedly breaks the cane into three pieces as Karmelo helps her up. The old woman curses Moconoco with three of everything--three eyes, three ears, three noses. She rewards Karmelo for his kindness with the broken cane, promising happiness when the three pieces are united.
Moconoco grows up to be an evil emperor and Karmelo grows up to be a poor slave. He gives the pieces to his three children and with the help of the cane, they must save their land from the cruel emperor!
When an old woman approaches Karmelo and Moconoco, Moconoco steals her golden walking cane. He wickedly breaks the cane into three pieces as Karmelo helps her up. The old woman curses Moconoco with three of everything--three eyes, three ears, three noses. She rewards Karmelo for his kindness with the broken cane, promising happiness when the three pieces are united.
Moconoco grows up to be an evil emperor and Karmelo grows up to be a poor slave. He gives the pieces to his three children and with the help of the cane, they must save their land from the cruel emperor!
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 8, 2012
You know, not a bad little book! Disguised as a fantasy/fairy tale, this book is about the downside of greed and excess, rudeness vs. kindness, and domination vs. cooperation. The author did not beat kids over the head with her message, but instead made sure that the story was as strong as the message. The balance was nice, making this a book that kids could just enjoy as a story, or that parents could use as a teaching tool.
The kids liked this book, although they both expressed some slight confusion at various points. The book was a little longer than what my nephew is accustomed to, so he forgot how the king ended up with his particular malady, and somehow my niece missed it when the kids at the beginning of the book grew into men. But, they both asked questions, and overall seemed to get the story.
The illustrations were pretty, although the king looked freaky. My niece actually screamed when she saw his image for the first time. In the illustrator's defense, however, the king wasn't supposed to resemble Prince Charming. This is a little atypical of the stories we usually read, but it was pretty entertaining!
The kids liked this book, although they both expressed some slight confusion at various points. The book was a little longer than what my nephew is accustomed to, so he forgot how the king ended up with his particular malady, and somehow my niece missed it when the kids at the beginning of the book grew into men. But, they both asked questions, and overall seemed to get the story.
The illustrations were pretty, although the king looked freaky. My niece actually screamed when she saw his image for the first time. In the illustrator's defense, however, the king wasn't supposed to resemble Prince Charming. This is a little atypical of the stories we usually read, but it was pretty entertaining!
November 12, 2014
Tried reading this book to my daughter and she paid attention until the picture of the king's face appeared. Then she screamed and ran so I finished this story alone. The illustrations were beautiful and the story had a good message behind it. Worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews