Beautiful story and pictures
352795
Beautiful story and pictures. I purchased for the breastfeeding elements to share with my child,  however it's a little too old for her. I am sure she will enjoy it eventually.
1968444
Just recently we discovered Mercer Mayer and we love his series "Little Critter". I looked for other books he had written and saw this one. It is so beautifully illustrated that it was joy to look at it. My daughter said right away "What beautiful pictures".The story is beautiful, very sad but saying a true story of how the world is. It is a very similar story of the Buddha story where he left the beautiful palace because he felt pitiful to the suffering people outside of the palace. Every book has a short description of what happens in the book. This book's description is not accurate on the first few pages. It says: " After seeing the disparity between the conditions of her father's palace and the city beyond its walls, the emperor's daughter has the royal kitemaker build a huge kite to take her away from it all." Once you read the story, you can see that this cannot be any further from the truth. Because she asks the kitemaker to build her this kite, so she can change the city. A very wonderful, well written story. We have become fans of Mercer Mayer and I am getting more of his books of this kind.
1944515
This is a beautiful picture book with an important message about living out your dreams. Children from 3-5 will absolutely love it. The illustrations lovely and will capture anyone's attention. Is a great read-aloud story as well as an early reader.
777323
This is a beautiful story and I gift this book to my friends when they have a baby. The illustrations are beautiful as is the sentiment of the book.
4053625
This book is great for kids to read and for adults to read to kids. This is because it has beautiful pictures and also has a good message. Children should know that it is okay to be interested in things and to never give up on their dreams. In this book, young Dan wants to go on an adventure to find a blue whale, after hearing stories from his grandpa about them. When he gets the chance, he does it, and sees much more than he bargained for. The best part of the book was the illustrations, which largely consist of the color blue, making the whole story rather calming, meaning it will be a great addition to bedtime. There are also so many different sea creatures in it that it will be perfect for any tyke that loves animals, so don't hesitate to read it with your little guy or girl.
1570460
Beautiful illustrations and a cute story. My girls love it.
2403659
I loved it! This is a beautiful, thoughtfully presented story that is appropriate for a wide range of ages. The illustrations are high quality, stunning paintings and really make the book come alive. The themes of warmth, light, acceptance, and love are woven masterfully into the fabric of the story, and are presented clearly and engagingly for young audiences. I would recommend this book to any parent that wants to broaden their child's thinking and share wonderful stories from around the world.
2484275
A beautiful story about the strength of believing in someone.  This is a wonderful story to read to your little ones and a great one for beginning readers.  The illustrations are so vibrant and adds to one's enjoyment.
3747068
This is a beautiful little book that can be appreciated by 3-year olds and older.  The story is fun, and the art is captivating.  I am making this book a Christmas gift for my young granddaughter.
1319923
We loved this book!  It has a beautiful story, message and pages!
3089725
One of my favorite bedtime stories to read to my daughter!  It's such a cute story with absolutely beautiful pictures that contain lots of detail.  My daughter is only 8 months old but she loves when I read her this story.  She gets mesmerized by the pictures and likes to turn the pages.  This is a great book for all ages!
4201075
Purchased this book for my daughter and she loves the story and the pictures! A beautiful book!
4006844
My mother got this book and another one also illustrated by Laurel Long (The Mightiest Heart by Lynn Cullen) for my son and daughter for Christmas. The very first thing I noticed was the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL artwork. It's definitely a picture book worth having for the *pictures*! :-)
The story itself is also excellent. It is good bedtime story length. The plot is a wonderful Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with a female heroine. Katya swears to break the evil spell that the Grand Vizier has cast on the Tsarevitch, and she succeeds with the help of the magic nesting dolls (matryoshka) her dying grandmother left her.
My children and I have really enjoyed this book.
4283244
This story is a favorite of my seven-year-old daughter's and mine.  I purchased it for her for Christmas and she was overwhelmed by the beautiful illustrations!  It is definitely a keeper - one that we will enjoy again and again!
563500
A fascinating story and beautiful illustrations!!
4775382
The story is simple and the illustrations are vibrant and beautiful with colored foil like accents.  Both our toddler and us can stare at the pages and get lost in the beautiful pictures!
2678531
My one year old is mesmerized by the vivid colors pictures. The story is beautifully written with vocabulary that will be appropriate for years and years of story time were in love!