THE SWEET SOUND OF LAUGHTER

Four princesses use their diverse gifts in this fairy tale–like parable.

In this picture book, a benevolent king presents gifts to his four light-skinned daughters. To Agnes, he grants healing; Betty receives the gift of song; Charmaine gains kindness; and Dorothy gets the final offering—“Ladder? What sort of gift is that?” Dorothy’s mishearing of her gift will likely be obvious to young readers. But if they miss it the first time, they’ll catch on when Dorothy uses a ladder as her stage for joke telling when she and her sisters visit a sick boy, care for a traveler, and charm a cranky hermit. The misunderstanding leaves Dorothy feeling uneasy when she’s asked to explain how her gift has made a difference. When she finally realizes her mistake, she answers the only way she can: with laughter. Segrin’s simple vocabulary and repeated use of the gifts will appeal to independent readers. The uncredited digital cartoon illustrations, though somewhat two-dimensional, capture the story’s tone and make the sheepish Dorothy easy to identify with. Unfortunately, the overuse of grays for the castle and interior walls undermines some of the brighter colors. A note explains the parable aspect—that the king, introduced in the images surrounded by a glow, is God and that people receive unique gifts, including laughter. While the heavy-handed description dampens the parable’s charm, Dorothy’s misunderstanding remains just the comic relief the tale needs.

A clever story of princesses helping others—notably through the gift of laughter.