THE LITTLE FLOWER KING
by Kveta Pacovská & illustrated by Kveta Pacovská & translated by Anthea Bell
A gorgeously original tale, from the creator of the enigmatic Flying (1995). The king plants flowers everywhere, covering his kingdom with blooms. But he's not happy yet; what's missing is a princess. After looking high and low, he finds one, and they live happily ever after. The front cover has a little square window cut from the middle, from which the hero peers out at readers. The king is a little red man, painted in bright colors and drawn off-center in the best primitivist tradition. The rest of the pictures are done in vibrant combinations of paint-box colors, with every detail deliberately out of proportion. The text is printed in big letters that in some way frame the lyrically messy art. These scenes give the tale an indescribable lightness and make it read more like a love letter than a children's book. (Picture book. 4-7)