The Three Princes: A Tale From The Middle East by Eric A. Kimmel

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Princes: A Tale From The Middle East. Ill. by Leonard Everett Fisher. New York, Holiday House: 1994. ISBN: 082341115X

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This folktale from the Middle East tells the story of a beautiful princess who is sought after by princes from all over the world. Only three have won her favor - Prince Muhammed, Prince Fahad, and Prince Mohsen. Prince Muhammed and Prince Fahad are wealthy and well known, but Prince Mohsen is the one she loves. The problem is that he “possessed little more than his handsome face, his cloak, and his camel.” In order to give Prince Mohsen a chance to prove his worth, the princess sends all three princes away for a year to find a rare treasure. She promises to marry the one who brings back the greatest of these treasures.

The princes set out across the desert, and after a year they meet to see what wonder each has found on his journey. Prince Muhammad has found a crystal ball in which he can see what is happening anywhere in the world. Prince Fahad has found a flying carpet that can take him wherever he wants to go. Prince Mohsen has found a healing orange that can cure any illness. When the princes use Prince Muhammad’s crystal ball to discover that their beloved princess is sick and dying, they decide to use Prince Fahad’s flying carpet to carry them to her in an instant. When they reach her, they use Prince Mohsen’s orange to heal her. She chooses to marry Prince Mohsen, the prince she loved from the beginning, because he sacrificed the most by giving his only possession - his orange - to save her life.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Three Princes takes place in the Middle East. The exact setting is not given, but in Eric Kimmell’s “Notes About the Book,” he says that he first heard it from his Saudi Arabian students. In the book, Prince Fahad also mentions that he traveled across Egypt’s desert, so the setting seems to be somewhere around Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

Themes that prevail in this tale include mystery, love, and wisdom. From the very beginning of this story, the reader is intrigued by the princess “who was as wise as she was beautiful.” The princess is not given a name. She covers her hair and face - everything but her eyes - which portrays traditional women’s dress in Middle Eastern culture, but also adds to the mystery of her character. Because she loves Prince Mohsen, the reader is left wondering what criteria this mysterious princess will use to judge which object is greatest. Will she choose his treasure over the others because of her love for him? This leads to the theme of love - more specifically love prevailing in spite of adversity. How will the princess’s love for Prince Mohsen prevail if his treasure is not the greatest of the three? In the end, love prevails. The princess chooses Prince Mohsen to be her husband because he is the only one who has given all he owns so that she can live. Her wise choice shows that she truly is as wise as she is beautiful.

The illustrations in this book recreate “the essence of the Arab world,” as Fisher intends. Characters wear brightly colored traditional clothing and they sit on brightly colored traditional floor pillows. Although their mode of travel is not mentioned in the story, the illustrations show that they travel by camel, a traditional form of travel in the Middle East. When the three princes are in the desert at night, the sky features the crescent moon and stars. The crescent and the star is a common symbol throughout the Middle East. Fisher’s drawings of the characters in this story are mostly close up. By bringing us so close to these characters, it’s as if he’s inviting us into their lives - into their stories. He takes us on a journey to a faraway land and lets us have an up-close visit with the people of that land.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - “A welcome addition that deserves to become a read-aloud standard.”

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - “Kimmel's sprightly retelling of a Middle Eastern folktale and Fisher's ambient artwork shimmer with wisdom and magic.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other folktales written by Eric A. Kimmel such as:

• Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale. ISBN 082340854X

• Anansi And The Moss-Covered Rock. ISBN 082340689X
• Joha Makes A Wish: A Middle Eastern Tale. ISBN 1477816879

Gather other books written by Eric A. Kimmel such as:

• Little Red Hot. ISBN 1477816380
• I Took My Frog To The Library. ISBN 0833580876

Read another folktale from the Middle East. Compare and contrast the morals, characters, and cultural values from each. What do these things tell us about the Middle Eastern culture?

Have students write their own folktale based on a moral and culture they wish to portray.