Hans Christian Andersen's THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER

Tucson, AZ: Harbinger House, 1988. 1st Edition Assumed 1st. Hardcover. New/As New. Ricki Klages color illustrations. CONDITION: UNREAD, but not quite perfect, 1988 Harbinger House hardcover (beige boards with blue design) & dust jacket (price clipped), first edition, assumed first printing. Wonderful color illustrations - mostly full-page. CONTENT: Discovered by a stork and raised by Vikings, Helga lives an enchanted existence as a beautiful but vicious human child by day and a gentle but ugly toad by night, until finding her true home by the waters of the Nile. A retelling of one of Andersen's more obscure tales. An Egyptian princess falls into the evil clutches of the Marsh King. A child is born to her and is taken to be raised by a Viking woman. Beautiful but with a horrid disposition, the child Helga is transformed into a gentle frog at night. When this child becomes a young woman, she meets a slave who preaches mercy and compassion. Changed by this encounter, she finds her true mother and travels with her back to Egypt. The story ends on a haunting note when Helga unknowingly speeds through time, discovers herself in the future, and majestically changes into a swan. Visually, the book is attractive, utilizing a smaller format than most picture books and including borders on each page of text. Even the typeface and page design are appealing. With their palette of deep greens, blues, and grays, the ink wash illustrations reflect the somber quality of the story. IMHO, more suitable for Teens/Young Adults.