This book is beautiful, lush colors and scrumptious illustrations. It feels like another variation of the Youngest Son Seeks Fortune story. ( )

I wrote my Eagle Scout speech around this book. It's a simple story, with simple characters, and a simple moral. Nothing that'll re-frame your worldview, but it's a good lesson in leadership vs. domineering. The real allure for me comes from the beautiful watercolor illustrations. The book takes about five minutes to read, so it's definitely worth it. ( )

One of my childhood favorites rediscovered! I dislike how the princess is presented as a prize and never even gets a line to speak. But the illustrations are magnificent and the story is fun. My daughters enjoyed seeing how the friends used their talents, and the repetition in the story.

This is a sweet book, and it's not hard to picture it becoming an adult's childhood favourite. The story itself is not particularly surprising or compelling (if you make friends with a man who can turn into a bear, I naturally expect that skill to come in handy later), but the illustrations give it a great deal of charm and rather make the book. The final lines are a very nice touch, and I was moved a bit, but unless you're trying to groom your child for CEO your mileage may vary.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )

Cute. A little long-winded, a little out-of-date, but still maybe 2.5 stars. ( )