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Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated)

Princess Hyacinth has an unusual problem: She floats. “Unless she was attached to something, or weighted down, she just floated—up, up, up.” Golden weights sewn into her dresses and pebbles added to the tops of her socks help keep her grounded, but she is destined to sit alone and watch other children play beneath her window. When Hyacinth disregards the royal rules and sets off for the park, a balloon vendor gives her an idea. Soon, she is floating up with the balloons, and when the vendor accidentally lets go of the string attached to her ankle, fear is the last thing on her mind. “She did handsprings and headstands, flip-flops and fandangos. It was the most fun she had ever had in her whole life.” Humorous and slightly edgy illustrations augment the witty text full of wordplay, while the use of font size, color, and placement on (and sometimes partly off) the page round out the lighter-than-air theme. Honor Book, 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Lane Smith

Wisconsin author

Florence Parry Heide grew up in Pennsylvania. She moved to Kenosha shortly after World War II and lived there until her death in 2011.

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Fantasy Humor Wordplay

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780375845017

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Heide