The King's Equal is one of my favorite picture books, more for Katherine Paterson's text than Vladimir Vagin's illustrations, though those are lovely in their own right. I have read it several times to my five-year old sister over the course of the last two or three years, and each time I am surprised by how well it holds her attention, especially given the length of the story. It's just that magical, I suppose. Ms. Paterson (who I am a great fan of, but perhaps more here than in her usual novel-length stories for young people) uses fairytale conventions such as the number three and turns them to her own use; the end result is not unlike a George MacDonald allegory. A friend, to whom I recommended this book, commented that a few of the plot threads were not tied off and a few phenomena went unexplained. I did not notice them during my reread, and thought any unanswered questions only added to the mystery of this beautiful story. ( )

An excellent book for early readers. Children can learn about equality and what it means to be a decent member of a functioning society. Other lessons in the story include kindness to animals, friendship, sharing, and love. ( )