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The Water of Life
A kindly fisherman is sent by the king to find the Water of Life but gives away all his magic implements to needy creatures he meets along the way.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Jay Williams
159 books41 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Jay Williams (May 31, 1914–July 12, 1978) was an American author born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Max and Lillian Jacobson. He cited the experience of growing up as the son of a vaudeville show producer as leading him to pursue his acting career as early as college. Between 1931 and 1934 he attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University where he took part in amateur theatrical productions.
Out of school and out of work during the end of the Depression, he worked as a comedian on the upstate New York Borscht Belt circuit. From 1936 until 1941, Jay Williams worked as a press agent for Dwight Deere Winman, Jed Harris and the Hollywood Theatre Alliance. And even though he played a feature role in the Cannes prize winning film, The Little Fugitive produced in 1953, he turned his attention to writing as a full time career after his discharge from the Army in 1945. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart. While serving in the Army he published his first book, The Stolen Oracle, in 1943.
Williams may be best-known for his young adult "Danny Dunn" science fiction/fantasy series which he co-authored with Raymond Abrashkin. Though Abrashkin died in 1960, he is listed as co-author of all 15 books of this series, which continued from 1956 until 1977. Jay Williams also wrote mysteries for young adults, such as The Stolen Oracle, The Counterfeit African, and The Roman Moon Mystery.
In all, he published at least 79 books including 11 picture books, 39 children's novels, 7 adult mysteries, 4 nonfiction books, 8 historical novels and a play.
Williams and his wife Barbara Girsdansky were married June 3, 1941. They had a son, Christopher ("Chris"), and a daughter, Victoria. Jay Williams died at age 64 from a heart attack while on a trip to London on July 12, 1978.
Jay Williams (May 31, 1914–July 12, 1978) was an American author born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Max and Lillian Jacobson. He cited the experience of growing up as the son of a vaudeville show producer as leading him to pursue his acting career as early as college. Between 1931 and 1934 he attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University where he took part in amateur theatrical productions.
Out of school and out of work during the end of the Depression, he worked as a comedian on the upstate New York Borscht Belt circuit. From 1936 until 1941, Jay Williams worked as a press agent for Dwight Deere Winman, Jed Harris and the Hollywood Theatre Alliance. And even though he played a feature role in the Cannes prize winning film, The Little Fugitive produced in 1953, he turned his attention to writing as a full time career after his discharge from the Army in 1945. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart. While serving in the Army he published his first book, The Stolen Oracle, in 1943.
Williams may be best-known for his young adult "Danny Dunn" science fiction/fantasy series which he co-authored with Raymond Abrashkin. Though Abrashkin died in 1960, he is listed as co-author of all 15 books of this series, which continued from 1956 until 1977. Jay Williams also wrote mysteries for young adults, such as The Stolen Oracle, The Counterfeit African, and The Roman Moon Mystery.
In all, he published at least 79 books including 11 picture books, 39 children's novels, 7 adult mysteries, 4 nonfiction books, 8 historical novels and a play.
Williams and his wife Barbara Girsdansky were married June 3, 1941. They had a son, Christopher ("Chris"), and a daughter, Victoria. Jay Williams died at age 64 from a heart attack while on a trip to London on July 12, 1978.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 19, 2021
This is on openlibrary, but I was lucky enough to borrow a paper copy from ILL. I am truly delighted by the bold, lively, but cleanly drawn illustrations. The story is an adventure, and a fable, with an important moral. Williams does 'practical princess' stories very well, and I'm glad to see that he can do 'good & kind man' well, too.
March 30, 2020
Pilchard the fisherman had a reputation for being helpful, so when the king summoned him to the castle, and requested his aid in an effort to find the Water of Life, the kind-hearted man couldn't say no, even though no one knew where this miraculous liquid was to be found. Reasoning that "if no one knows where it is, then it must be in some place where no one ever goes," he set out on his journey, eventually finding himself in a lonely forest. Freeing a captive basilisk, he is rewarded with three extraordinary objects to aid him in his quest: a key that fits all locks, a flute that can charm all animals, and a bottle that can hold an endless quantity of fluid. But will Pilchard manage to hold onto these helpful treasures, on his journey to the Hill of Morna, on which stands the source of the Water of Life...?
When I first saw this picture-book by Jay Williams - creator of the ground-breaking children's science-fiction series about Danny Dunn - I assumed from the title that it was a retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale of the same name, but it turns out that it is an original story. I was also puzzled, while investigating further, to see that co-author Victoria Williams is not credited on the cover of the original 1980 edition (I read the 1990 reprint). Leaving that aside, The Water of Life has an engaging narrative, with a very satisfactory conclusion. The illustrations by Lucinda McQueen are sometimes a little too sweet for my taste, but all in all, this is a title fairy-tale fans will want to check out, especially if they have read some of Williams' other work in the genre!
When I first saw this picture-book by Jay Williams - creator of the ground-breaking children's science-fiction series about Danny Dunn - I assumed from the title that it was a retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale of the same name, but it turns out that it is an original story. I was also puzzled, while investigating further, to see that co-author Victoria Williams is not credited on the cover of the original 1980 edition (I read the 1990 reprint). Leaving that aside, The Water of Life has an engaging narrative, with a very satisfactory conclusion. The illustrations by Lucinda McQueen are sometimes a little too sweet for my taste, but all in all, this is a title fairy-tale fans will want to check out, especially if they have read some of Williams' other work in the genre!
February 26, 2010
While the heavy use of orange and magenta and the super-mellow mustachioed protagonist scream '70s! to me, I still enjoyed both the sweet illustrations and the positive story. This original fairy tale takes a gentle twist away from the standard plot model of the quest to emphasize contentment and cooperation over accomplishment and triumph.
October 1, 2025
Beautiful illustrations and a lovely fable
February 16, 2021
We usually have what we need to live.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews