Search For Delicious
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The Prime Minister is compiling a dictionary, and when no one at court can agree on the meaning of "delicious," the King sends his twelve-year-old messenger, Gaylan, to poll the citizenry. Gaylan soon discovers that the entire kingdom is on the brink of civil war, and must enlist help to define "delicious" and save the country.
The Search for Delicious is a 1969 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year.
Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy
Young Adult Fiction / Action & Adventure
About this Author
A gifted artist and writer,Natalie Babbitt is the award-winning author of the modern classicTuck Everlasting,The Eyes of the Amaryllis,Kneeknock Rise and many other brilliantly original books for young people. She began her career in 1966 as the illustrator ofThe Forty-ninth Magician, a collaboration with her husband. When her husband became a college president and no longer had time to collaborate, Babbitt tried her hand at writing.The Search for Delicious was her first novel and established her gift for writing magical tales with profound meaning.Kneeknock Rise earned her a Newbery Honor Medal, and in 2002,Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture. Natalie Babbitt lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a grandmother of three.
Reviews
"Because of disagreement in the castle over a definition for the word 'delicious' for the new dictionary, the Prime Minister's young assistant is sent out to poll the entire citizenry. How the kingdom is saved and the definition found climaxes an imaginative, winning story." --Starred,Booklist
"A subtly teasing fantasy-adventure that's as fresh and sparkling as spring water. It's truly delicious." --The New York Times Book Review
"A wholly delightful story. The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry." --The Horn Book
"A wholly delightful story. The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry." --The Horn Book
"This engaging story begins with a brief glimpse into the past when dwarfs, woldwellers (forest dwarfs), mermaids, and winds of the air openly inhabited the earth. The actual story unfolds much further in the future, when these amazing creatures, mostly forgotten, live in secret places. DeCree, the Prime Minister, inadvertently provokes an upheaval of the townspeople with his attempt to define the word 'delicious' for the official dictionary. Although other of his definitions have been wellrecieved ... he cannot secure approval for 'Delicious is fried fish,' because each government official has his own personal food preference. To alleviate the situation, DeCree's 12-year-old special assistant and adopted son, Gaylen, polls all the citizens fortheir choices. The villian of the story, the Queen's brother Hemlock, convinces the townspeople that the King will, upon outcome of the poll, prohibit the eating of certain foods; he futher instigates revolt by dammign up the water supply, but Gaylen with the help fo a mermaid foils this and a definition fo delicous is finally agreed upon . . . The definition of this well-constructed-story, combining fine imagery, humor, strong characterizations, legend, and an unobtrusive theme of good versus evil, is: a good book for children hungry for light entertainment." --Starred,School Libarary Journal
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