All the boys and girls of the Kingdom of Naysayer live and study in the large gloomy building known as Naysayer Academy. One of the boys is Iggy. He’s an outcast, subject to constant taunts and torments by the other children. Iggy doesn’t remember how he ended up here, only that he is alone and miserable. One day he notices a large black crow wearing a silver chain and amulet around its neck. The amulet is the same color as the stone on Iggy’s ring – the ring that is Iggy’s sole possession. When the king of Naysayer shows up at the Academy, he spies Iggy’s ring and takes the ring away from him. When the King eventually realizes that the ring is a royal ring and that Iggy must be the long lost royal prince of the Rose Kingdom; the King decides Iggy is actually more valuable than the ring. When the King returns to retrieve the precious boy, Iggy has already been carted away from the premises by a man who insists on calling Iggy “Your Highness” and is determined to get Iggy back to where he belongs – on the throne of the Rose Kingdom.
PRINCE IGGY AND THE KINGDOM OF NAYSAYER is a bewitching rag to riches story suitable for young listeners and readers ages 5 and up, incorporates magic, suspense and surprises as young Iggy is rescued from his pitiful life and embarks on a journey to discover his true mettle and heritage. Author Aldo Fynn conveys the darkness of the academy, not only in the descriptions of the “dreary halls”, but also in the demeanor of the hungry, desperate children who prey on Iggy for entertainment and spite. Iggy’s loneliness and misery is effectively conveyed through his dejected behavior, for example when he wonders if he really, as the children say, stinks: “He then lifted his droopy arm and took a big sniff of his armpit. He couldn’t smell anything.”
Evocative characterizations of the lean, mean Miss Spitfire who runs the academy and the greedy King and their abuse of Iggy create an effective contrast to the treatment Iggy receives when he meets with his rescuers who embrace Iggy, literally and metaphorically, and vow to keep him safe from harm.
The illustrations complement the narrative, capturing the emotions of the characters and mood of the story with the soft and dreamy tonal sketches that range from close ups of character’s expressions, to wide angle drawings revealing, for example, Iggy walking past the row of children slumped over their bowls of porridge.
Though parents may raise an eyebrow at the use of a couple of expressions, such as “Damn it” and “This present sucks”, that might be considered inappropriate for young children; the story’s messages about confidence and the power of friends and friendships are clear: “It all starts with what’s in your heart, and in your head.”
PRINCE IGGY AND THE KINGDOM OF NAYSAYER is a charming story about finding out who you are and following your heart.
Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader.