The Rose and the Lily

Author: Susan Ross
Illustrator: Megan Stiver
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9810634-6-1
Pages: 36
Price: $12.99

Poor King William is desperate to marry off his spoiled daughter, Rose. Suitors come from near and far, but no one is good enough for her. She finally agrees that Prince Sterling might be a potential husband, but only if he brings her the perfect hairpin.

Prince Sterling is enchanted by Rose’s beauty, and gladly sets off on a quest to find her hairpin. But each time he returns to see her, she rejects him and his gifts. Lily, a plain and simple village girl, helps Prince Sterling by taking care of his horse and chatting with him about his quest. As the Prince gets to know both ladies, he finds Rose gets uglier and Lily prettier every day.

It’s a well-known truism that beauty is only skin-deep. In The Rose and the Lily kids will see this for themselves, as Lily’s beauty shines brightly from the inside. As this story clearly demonstrates, character will always be more important than appearance.

Reviewer: Alice Berger