Tunes, Tales, and Tinkles

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

A lonely star in the sky becomes the most beloved jewel in a
Maharajah’s brooch. St. Nicholas and a wise old mango tree create a
beautiful silk dress for a little girl who desperately wants to go to a
special party. A beautiful fairy queen escapes the unwanted advances of
a fairy king by taking refuge in the petals of the most lowly of
flowers. A poor child in India meets Santa Claus because she risks her
life to save a family she does not even know.

If you are in the mood for something a little different, you might want
to try this charming collection of stories, poems, and songs. It has a
distinctively antique tang—like opening a dusty old biscuit tin and
discovering a rare chapbook from a century ago. Characters straddle both
hemispheres: Santa Claus seems perfectly at home in the Indian jungle,
and pixies and elves are part of the same world as Maharajahs and myna
birds.

Occasionally awkward prose and themes that are essentially rehashes of
the Cinderella theme do not seem to inflict much damage on the finished
product. The bright pastel illustrations are equally imperfect, but
somehow endearing. Song sheets are included for the musically inclined.
Recommended.