Such a pretty pretty book, and such a wonderful message.
Based on the Armenian folktale "Clever Anaeet" - (found in closer to original form in the compilation The Fabrics of Fairytale, by Tanya Robyn Batt. The same story also appears (with much less stirring text and illustrations) in The Golden Bracelet, by David Kherdian and Nonny Hogrogian.
A lazy prince loves only to hunt, and in fact, that is the only thing he knows how to do. That is until he meets a beautiful, clever, and wise weaver's daughter, who won't have anything to do with him until he has proven himself to be a true man by becoming literate and learning a craft or trade.
Smitten with her, and now burning with desire to prove himself worthy, the prince studies hard and learns (and excels at) the craft of loom weaving cloth-of-gold.
He sends her a poem written by him, wrapped in a blanket woven by him, and she accepts his proposal. She teaches him to handle bureaucracy, he teaches her to ride, and to fight.
Then danger stirs on the border, and he goes to investigate. He's caught by a dev (a goblin demon) and forced to work night and day to earn his meager rations. He weaves a beautiful cloth with a secret message for his queen, and tricks the dev into sending it to her for gold. She understands it at once and rides in to the rescue.
The illustrations are beautiful! Dark and evocative, with beautiful prince and maiden, and evil henchmen and dev. The backgrounds are full of "arabian nights" style swirls and flourishes, and they remind me of The Horse and His Boy, and of The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.
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