Andrew Lang, the author of this book, was a 19th-century British man of letters, a serious and authoritative figure in academic circles. Yet, reading "Pantouflia," one would think it was written by some modern, cheerful children's author.
"The Chronicles of Pantouflia" masquerades as a classic European fairy tale about kings, princesses, and knights, but in reality, it’s absolute mayhem...
A highly educated Queen Mother does not believe in fairies or other magical nonsense, so she does not invite wizards to the celebration of her firstborn's birth; and when they show up anyway, she ignores the guests and tosses their gifts to the prince—seven-league boots, an invisibility cloak, a magic carpet, etc.—up into the attic. One fairy, however, gives an intangible gift: she makes the baby the smartest child in the world. And this becomes a fateful turning point for the entire kingdom. The boy grows up and exhausts everyone around him (including his parents) with his intellect: he knows everything better than anyone else, he nitpicks every little detail, and he is perpetually skeptical of everything—well, how are you supposed to live next to such a know-it-all? "If you are clever, hide it from those around you—then they will treat you well," the author winks at us.
As for the chaos that follows, involving dragons, marriages to princesses, a family gallows, living water, and other magical artifacts, read "The Chronicles of Pantouflia" by Andrew Lang for preschoolers and elementary school children.
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