POMANDO: The Story of a Royal Artist

by M. Jean Craig ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1969

A parable about beauty in which the artist tells the people how to look at pictures, which ultimately leads them to look beyond their own narrow boundaries. In the walled kingdom of Yolalia ""not a single person. . . had ever seen a single beautiful thing,"" so Pomando's pictures have no buyers. The King can't see the point in Pomando's canvases of ""Looking Out"" or ""Reaching Up."" But the Princess--who of course is plain--sees something beautiful in her portrait and then in herself, and if she can change by practicing (""can be is the same as are""), everyone else can too. What follows is the transformation of the entire kingdom--knocking down the unimaginative barriers to see the Other and the Else. The story is flimsy, the message comparatively overpowering, and the innocuous illustrations are no support.

Pub Date: May 1, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1969

Categories: FICTION