Honk Honk! Hold Tight!

PreS-Gr 2—In this gentle version of a Norwegian folktale, Princess Alice never smiles or laughs. Her father declares that he will share his kingdom with anyone who can make Alice laugh. A young man named Peter sets out to try, and after being kind to an old woman, he receives a magical golden goose. If anyone stretches a hand toward the goose, it cries, "Honk, Honk!" and Peter is told he must then call, "Hold tight!" When a woman tries to steal a golden goose feather, the goose honks. Peter cries, "Hold tight!" and the woman's hand becomes magically stuck to the goose. Various other people reach out to help or to take something another is holding, and they all become magically stuck together in a long, bizarre, scrambling line. Princess Alice finds the situation hilarious. Her laughter releases the townspeople from their "chain," and Alice proposes to Peter. This lesser-known folktale will charm readers with its unexpected absurdity. There are some positive touches of modern-day sensibility here: the king does not promise his daughter in marriage (rather, he promises only to "share his kingdom"), and there are women in line to try to make Alice laugh. Marrying Peter is Alice's own idea. The unpretentious paper cutout-style characters contrast with a mostly white background, which helps to visually highlight exactly how this bewildering chain of characters is expanding.