King Bounce the 1st

by Helme Heine

When a king bounces on his bed at night to forget weighty matters of state, his ministers decide that such behavior is not worthy of a king.

28 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1982

About the author

Helme Heine was a best-selling German writer, children's book author, illustrator and designer. He lived in New Zealand, writing screenplays, audiobook scripts and creating satirical drawings and sculptures.

Reviews

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite stories growing up: a King in a world illustrated in paper collage finds his happiness in bouncing on the bed at night. When his kingdom finds out and tells him it's undignified, he starts to waste away from losing his life's passion--only his dying wish to bounce once last time restores him to full health. There's a clear warning in this fable to anyone willing to compromise the passions of their lives just to met someone else's standards, one worth keeping in mind even when children's books start to grow dusty on forgotten shelves.