The Search for Delicious
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Product Description<br/><br/><br/>Gaylen, the King's messenger, a skinny boy of twelve, is off to poll the kingdom, traveling from town to farmstead to town on his horse, Marrow. At first it is merely a question of disagreement at the royal castle over which food should stand for Delicious in the new dictionary. But soon it seems that the search for Delicious had better succeed if civil war is to be avoided.<br/> Gaylen's quest leads him to the woldweller, a wise, 900-year-old creature who lives alone at the precise center of the forest; to Canto, the minstrel who sings him an old song about a mermaid child and who gives him a peculiar good-luck charm; to the underground domain of the dwarfs; and finally to Ardis who might save the kingdom from havoc.<br/>The Search for Delicious is a 1969 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year.<br/><br/><br/>Review<br/><br/><br/>“Spirited and humorous, sensitive without ever being sad.” ―The New York Times Book Review<br/>“Fantasy-adventure that's as fresh and sparkling as spring water. It's truly delicious.” ―The New York Times<br/>“The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry. . . . A wholly delightful story.” ―The Horn Book Magazine<br/>“The definition of this well-constructed story, combining fine imagery, humor, strong characterizations, legend, and an unobtrusive theme of good versus evil is: a good book for children hungry for light entertainment.” ―School Library Journal, Starred Review<br/>“Here is a beguiling tale, here is a story perfectly suited for reading in the still of an endless summer twilight.” ―Publishers Weekly<br/>“Fresh and imaginative, this play on words and on human foibles is a welcome and happy book.” ―Cleveland Plain Dealer<br/>“A made-up fairy tale that works. . . . This one is for kids who thrive on the discovery of new words.” ―McCall's<br/><br/><br/>About the Author<br/><br/><br/>Artist and writer<br/>Natalie Babbitt (1932-2016) is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of the Amaryllis, Kneeknock Rise and many other brilliantly original books for young people. She began her career in 1966 as the illustrator of The Forty-ninth Magician, written by her husband. When her husband became a college president and no longer had time to collaborate, Babbitt tried her hand at writing. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, established her gift for writing magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned her a Newbery Honor Medal, and in 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture. Natalie Babbitt lived in Hamden, CT.<br/><br/><br/>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.<br/><br/><br/>(Chapter One)<br/>In his workroom at the top of the tower, DeCree, the Prime Minister, was pacing up and down. Occasionally he would pause, throw up his arms in a gesture of helplessness, and then resume his pacing. From her perch, his cockatoo watched with beady interest, turning her head this way and that as he crossed and recrossed before her.<br/>“There will be civil war!” he burst out at last. “Splits, upheavals, and people taking sides! Smiles will be forgotten and spring will escape notice! Little flowers will push up, only to be trodden down, and birds will sing unheeded.”<br/>From a pile of cushions in a corner of the room, his Special Assistant, a skinny, pleasant boy of twelve named Gaylen, put down the book he had been reading and frowned. “Civil war?” he said. “But why? What happened?”<br/>“It was like this,” said the Prime Minister, climbing onto the stool at his desk. “I went down, you see, to show the King how far I’ve gone on my dictionary. He was pleased with the first part. He liked ‘Affectionate is your dog’ and ‘Annoying is a loose boot in a muddy place’ and so on, and he smiled at ‘Bulky is a big bag of boxes.’ As a matter of fact, there was no trouble with any of the A’s or B’s and the C’s were fine too, especially ‘Calamitous is saying no to the King.’ But then we got to ‘Delicious is fried fish’ and he said no, I’d have to change that. He doesn’t care for fried fish. T
The Search for Delicious Natalie Babbitt
Details
Product Description<br/><br/><br/>Gaylen, the King's messenger, a skinny boy of twelve, is off to poll the kingdom, traveling from town to farmstead to town on his horse, Marrow. At first it is merely a question of disagreement at the royal castle over which food should stand for Delicious in the new dictionary. But soon it seems that the search for Delicious had better succeed if civil war is to be avoided.<br/> Gaylen's quest leads him to the woldweller, a wise, 900-year-old creature who lives alone at the precise center of the forest; to Canto, the minstrel who sings him an old song about a mermaid child and who gives him a peculiar good-luck charm; to the underground domain of the dwarfs; and finally to Ardis who might save the kingdom from havoc.<br/>The Search for Delicious is a 1969 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year.<br/><br/><br/>Review<br/><br/><br/>“Spirited and humorous, sensitive without ever being sad.” ―The New York Times Book Review<br/>“Fantasy-adventure that's as fresh and sparkling as spring water. It's truly delicious.” ―The New York Times<br/>“The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry. . . . A wholly delightful story.” ―The Horn Book Magazine<br/>“The definition of this well-constructed story, combining fine imagery, humor, strong characterizations, legend, and an unobtrusive theme of good versus evil is: a good book for children hungry for light entertainment.” ―School Library Journal, Starred Review<br/>“Here is a beguiling tale, here is a story perfectly suited for reading in the still of an endless summer twilight.” ―Publishers Weekly<br/>“Fresh and imaginative, this play on words and on human foibles is a welcome and happy book.” ―Cleveland Plain Dealer<br/>“A made-up fairy tale that works. . . . This one is for kids who thrive on the discovery of new words.” ―McCall's<br/><br/><br/>About the Author<br/><br/><br/>Artist and writer<br/>Natalie Babbitt (1932-2016) is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of the Amaryllis, Kneeknock Rise and many other brilliantly original books for young people. She began her career in 1966 as the illustrator of The Forty-ninth Magician, written by her husband. When her husband became a college president and no longer had time to collaborate, Babbitt tried her hand at writing. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, established her gift for writing magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned her a Newbery Honor Medal, and in 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture. Natalie Babbitt lived in Hamden, CT.<br/><br/><br/>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.<br/><br/><br/>(Chapter One)<br/>In his workroom at the top of the tower, DeCree, the Prime Minister, was pacing up and down. Occasionally he would pause, throw up his arms in a gesture of helplessness, and then resume his pacing. From her perch, his cockatoo watched with beady interest, turning her head this way and that as he crossed and recrossed before her.<br/>“There will be civil war!” he burst out at last. “Splits, upheavals, and people taking sides! Smiles will be forgotten and spring will escape notice! Little flowers will push up, only to be trodden down, and birds will sing unheeded.”<br/>From a pile of cushions in a corner of the room, his Special Assistant, a skinny, pleasant boy of twelve named Gaylen, put down the book he had been reading and frowned. “Civil war?” he said. “But why? What happened?”<br/>“It was like this,” said the Prime Minister, climbing onto the stool at his desk. “I went down, you see, to show the King how far I’ve gone on my dictionary. He was pleased with the first part. He liked ‘Affectionate is your dog’ and ‘Annoying is a loose boot in a muddy place’ and so on, and he smiled at ‘Bulky is a big bag of boxes.’ As a matter of fact, there was no trouble with any of the A’s or B’s and the C’s were fine too, especially ‘Calamitous is saying no to the King.’ But then we got to ‘Delicious is fried fish’ and he said no, I’d have to change that. He doesn’t care for fried fish. T