"Arnica the Duck Princess" by Ervin Lazar (Pushkin Children's Books)

Time for something thoroughly original and compelling now, from a publisher who really knows how to pick some of the most fascinating and amazing stories to translate.

"Arnica the Duck Princess" by Ervin Lazar brings onf of the late author's best known and well loved stories to a whole new generation of fans. 

A hilarious classic children's tale about true love, friendship... and what happens when your fiancé is turned into a duck.

Meet amazing plucky heroine Princess Arnica. 

She is so sweet and gentle that when she smiles even wolves and bears forget their fierceness. 

Everyone loves her, but she loves only Poor Johnny. 

Luckily, he loves her too, and even more luckily, Arnica has a very sensible king for a father, who is happy for her to marry whomever her heart desires. So, no problem then?

Beautiful Princess Arnica, so lovely of heart that even fierce beasts smile at her and snuggle up!

Well, maybe just one - The Witch With with a Hundred Faces has cast a spell on Arnica and Johnny which means that one of them, at any one time, must always be a duck, and the other human! 

Only the Seven-Headed Fairy can help them, but will they be able to find her in time?

What we loved most about this is that it feels like a properly deep and satisfyingly long story that became staple fodder for us over the course of a few bedtimes. Kids really aren't scared of longer books if the story can sustain their interest, and that's exactly what "Arnica the Duck Princess" achieves with aplomb. Just lovely!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A classic Eastern European tale brought to life in a stunning new edition for a whole new generation of admirers - impossible not to smile at Princess Arnica!

"Arnica The Duck Princess" by Ervin Lazar is out now, published by Pushkin Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).