A king and queen, mindful of the fact that their beloved daughter, the Princess Lucia, will one day rule their kingdom, set out to find the perfect husband for her. After consulting Wise Old Angelo, who advises them to accept the suit of the man who presents them with "the most wonderful thing in the world," they find that they have a long list of prospective bridegrooms to vet. Lucia, in the meantime, makes Wise Old Angelo's nephew Salvatore her guide to the city, and the two slowly fall in love. When Salvatore discovers the identity of his lady love, he despairs of ever winning her hand, until he realizes that he might know what the most wonderful thing in the world is...

As a long-time admirer of Angela Barrett's gorgeous fairy-tale artwork - her version of Snow White is one of my absolute favorites, while the artwork she contributed to Max Eilenberg's Beauty and the Beast is simply breathtaking! - I was very excited when I happened upon The Most Wonderful Thing in the World, a lovely original fairy-tale from author Vivian French. The story reads like a traditional tale, with some wonderful contemporary details, like the fact that one of the suitors think that weapons (of mass destruction) are the most wonderful thing in the world. The ending, for all that I expected it, was quite satisfying. The artwork, done in watercolor, was just lovely, with all of the many enchanting details and magical vistas that I have come to expect from Angela Barrett. Highly recommended to all fairy-tale lovers, as well as to fellow Barrett fans! ( )