Traveled through time with this one...
I was thinking about a book I reread in the 90’s and thought I’d share how I came to rediscover it.
Many of us have books we remember as a child that left behind the gift of a fond, albeit hazy, memory. There are several in my past, many of which I remember quite clearly. One, however, stood out. While the title eluded me, the story continued to visit, usually in the wee hours while trying to fall asleep. I remembered a young king with a yodler’s hat and a pointed beard. He lost his kingdom and was told that he could be a king again if he could accomplish a number of impossible feats. To do this, he enlisted the help of some men he rescued from various dangers along the way. I remembered that one turned into an elephant (and drank a huge vat of wine, as only a king could do). Another, a swarm of bees (who defeated an army). One, a hatchet, and one a tree. There was also a man who could become a snake (who spanned a gorge, making a bridge for them to cross) and one who could turn into fire (who “consumed” a king-sized meal). The last line of the book was etched indelibly in my memory. When asked why the king should be given a kingdom when these impossible tasks were accomplished by his friends, the elephant guy said, “He did what a good king should do. He led us.”
So, that was the gist of the story. It was also the first time I put the then-newfangled Internet to its proper use. I consider myself a pretty decent “keyword artist” and was able to track it down, despite having forgotten the title. Turns out it was called “The King With Six Friends”, written by Jay Williams.
I will never forget receiving the book in the mail and reading it for the first time in over thirty years. It was truly just as I had remembered! But here’s the surprising part; while the story had changed little in my memory, neither had the feeling I had inside as I read it. As we get older, the way we look at things change. However, while there are different triggers to different feelings and emotions, the effect of those emotions on the who we still are, can be the same. Happiness is still happiness. Sadness is still sadness. In reading this book, the warmth of friendship and the feeling of satisfaction in watching the impossible overcome had not changed. Nor did the ability of Imero Gobbato’s illustrations to draw me into this world.
In a way, this was time travel, or as close to it as I’ll ever come.
I could not have said it better, myself. This was one of my favorites, as a child.
This was good to read..indeed this book can take me back to my childhood more than most.
It’s funny, I said very similar things in a review of the book, at Amazon. This was my favorite all time picture book, as a child. I spent years looking for it in used bookstores, with clear memories of the illustrations and story, but no memory of the title. I eventually stumbled across a reference to Parents Magazine Press and suspected that had been where my parents had got the picture books we owned. Searching that on Amazon yielded the book (and some others I remembered) and I snapped up a copy. It’s still my favorite children’s book, despite a love of Maurice Sendak, Dr Seuss, and Robert McCloskey. It still stirs my imagination and I have to wonder if it didn’t help set me on the path of being a naval officer and; later, working in leadership positions in a retail environment (especially as a bookseller). I always took the lessons to heart, about taking care of the people around you and directing their talents to the problem at hand. Personally, I think the book belongs in the syllabus for any course on leadership. It sums it up better than any business book I ever read.
I just found this today!!! It was also my favorite book as a wee kid. VERY happy I finally found this!!!