THE SEEING STICK
Illustrated by Remy Charlip and Demtra Marsalis
T. Y. Crowell 1977
ISBN# 0-690-00455-9 Crowell hardcover

This original fairy tale about a Chinese princess who is blind is one of my own personal favorites. Surprisingly, I started it after reading an article in the magazine "Field and Stream." When I first read a draft to my writing group, the last line was not in place. One of the writers asked, "Is the old man blind. too? I wasn't sure." At which point I understood what my entire story was about! Interesting conjunction: just as the book came out, friends of ours had twins, one of whom was born with seriously impaired vision. This became the boy's first autographed book. The art begins in black and white and bursts into full color when the little princess learns to see with her fingers. The first printing of "Seeing Stick" had rough black end papers. The second printing, produced after the editor had been fired, had white end papers which totally changed Charlip's vision for the book. When he complained, the new editor said to him "Remy, nobody but you will even notice." I have both copies in the files. The book won the Christopher Medal and was published in Japan as well. It only went out of print recently, after a run of twenty years.

       Out of print.

Recording: There is a recording of THE SEEING STICK on a storytelling tape--THE INVISIBLE WAY: STORIES OF WISDOM by Susan Danoff.

What reviewers have said: "Sensitive and graceful." -- School Library Journal

To Buy a Copy

Jane Yolen Home Page