Cinnamon was a princess, a long time ago, in a small hot country, where everything was very old. Cinnamon did not talk. Mango trees, a parrot, and a beautiful room in the palace do nothing to help the teachers who try to make her to speak. Can a man-eating tiger do so, and exactly who will end up in the belly of the beast?

In this contemporary poetic retelling of the iconic myth, a teenage girl fleeing an abusive home takes refuge in the woods with a fairy-tale witch.

"In this subversive retelling of the magical tale of 'Sleeping Beauty,' Rebecca Solnit shifts the focus from the girl who slept for a hundred years to her sister who stayed awake--and to a poor boy whose story stumbled into theirs. Waking beauty tells of each child's adventures and obstacles: of Maya, the inspiring, extraordinary artist and changemaker who 'found [beauty] everywhere and gave it to everyone' ; of Atlas, who guarded golden apples and was definitely not a prince; and of Ida, who dreamed for a century and work up in a very different world"--Back cover.

Prince Roger is sent on a quest, the purpose of which is to turn the carefree young prince into a sober man and worthy monarch. Roger gets everything wrong--except for the meaning of life, and that he gets right. "Feiffer follows "The Man in the Ceiling" with another winner, this time a rollicking medieval farce that pokes fun at medieval farces--and just about everything else--while managing at the same time to be hilarious, engaging and thoroughly entertaining".--"Family Life". Prince Roger sets out eagerly on a quest and finds a few adventures, a lot of friends, a damsel or two in distress (not!) and himself, in the end. A carrier of joy' whose mere presence causes everyone to laugh uncontrollably, Roger finds cruelty and kindness equally amusing, and expects his quest to be a lark. It's anything but: As Roger passes through the Forever Forest, nearly starves at the Dastardly Divide, sees people at their worst in the Valley of Vengeance, and temporarily despairs in the Mountains of Malice, he sobers up, learns to care for others, becomes an expert peacemaker, does Good Deeds, and falls in love with Lady Sadie, who says what she thinks as she repeatedly saves his bacon.'-K. Feiffer's worldly-wise, confiding tone and sense of the absurd are highly congenial, and the drawings are a vintage Feiffer delight.'-Publishers Weekly. 100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1995 (NY Public Library)

"How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! Bette Midler's distinctive voice joins striking photos of the real duck by Michiko Kakutani and charming black-and-white drawings by Joana Avillez. This book will have readers of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks--both feathered and human."--Amazon.