The Three Golden Oranges (1999)

The Three Golden Oranges by Alma Flor Ada (1999) is the retelling of a popular Spanish tale. The author’s note at the back of the book reads, “The popular story of Blancaflor, the youngest of three sisters who is bewitched and held prisoner inside an orange, has taken many forms over time. . . Oranges were brought to Spain by the Arabs who held kingdoms in southern Spain from 711 to 1492.” I’m not a fan of stories based on spells. This one is actually a morality tale in which two brothers model vanity and greed while the third is virtuous. The virtuous one has his wish granted. Regarding the other two brothers, “No one really knows what happened to Santiago and Tomás. . .” Reg Cartwright’s illustrations fit the artificial atmosphere of this book. They are grand,  filled with color, and a bit cartoonish.