The Enchanted Island of Yew facts for kids
Cover illustration by Fanny Cory
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| Author | L. Frank Baum |
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| Illustrator | Fanny Y. Cory |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill |
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Publication date
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1903 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
The Enchanted Island of Yew is a fun fantasy novel for children. It was written by L. Frank Baum, who also created the Land of Oz. The book was published in 1903 and features illustrations by Fanny Y. Cory.
The full title is The Enchanted Island of Yew: Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People. The first edition had eight colorful pictures and many drawings printed over the text. Baum dedicated the book to his youngest son, Kenneth Gage Baum.
Contents
Exploring the Island of Yew
The Island of Yew is a magical place with knights, castles, and fairies. It's found somewhere "in the middle of the sea." Some people think it's in the same ocean as the Land of Oz, but the book doesn't say for sure.
The Four Lands of Yew
Like Oz, Yew is divided into four main areas, plus a central kingdom.
- Dawna is in the east.
- Auriel is in the west, known for its beautiful rose and purple sunsets.
- Plenta is in the south, a land rich with fruits and flowers.
- Heg is in the north, a very old-fashioned place with knights and castles.
The Central Kingdom of Spor
In the middle of Yew is the kingdom of Spor. While the Emerald City in Oz is a happy place, Spor is quite the opposite. It's a land of bandits and trouble.
Spor is ruled by the mysterious King Terribus. Its people include huge giants with clubs, small dwarfs who throw flaming darts, and the scary Gray Men of Spor. The other people of Yew are just happy if the Spor bandits only rob them once a year!
Prince Marvel's Amazing Adventures
The story begins with a girl named Sesely, the daughter of Baron Merd of Heg. She is having a picnic in the Forest of Lurla with two friends when they meet a fairy. This fairy is bored with fairy life and wants to become human!
A Fairy Becomes a Prince
The fairy asks the girls to turn him into a mortal boy for one year. The girls are surprised but agree. The new human boy is named Prince Marvel. He gets special fairy armor, weapons, and even an enchanted horse (which used to be a deer). Prince Marvel then sets off to find adventures!
Facing Bandits and a Dragon
Since Yew is full of robbers, Prince Marvel doesn't have to look far for excitement. He first meets and defeats the bandits of Wul-Takim, who calls himself the King of Thieves. Marvel captures all 59 bandits. Wul-Takim tricks Marvel into believing they are now honest men, so Marvel doesn't punish them.
Marvel also rescues a young man named Nerle, who becomes his helper. Nerle is quite unusual because he actually wants to suffer and often complains when Marvel saves him from harm!
A bigger challenge awaits Prince Marvel in Spor. There, he faces the Royal Dragon of the evil King Terribus. This dragon looks very impressive:
...more than thirty feet in length and covered everywhere with large green scales set with diamonds, making the dragon, whenever it moved, a very glittering spectacle. Its eyes were as big as pie plates, and its mouth—when wide opened—fully as large as a bathtub. Its tail was very long and ended in a golden ball, such as you see on the top of flagstaffs. Its legs, which were as thick as those of an elephant, had scales which were set with rubies and emeralds.
However, the dragon is not as scary as it looks. Its fire went out, and its keepers can't find matches. It also refuses to fight because its tail and teeth hurt! In the end, the dragon is too much of a "gentleman" to fight Prince Marvel. Marvel wins in Spor and even convinces King Terribus to become good by magically changing his scary face into a handsome one.
Adventures in Twi and Beyond
Next, Marvel visits the strange, hidden kingdom of Twi. This land is always in twilight, which is how it got its name. Everything in Twi is doubled, and everyone is a twin. The people don't even have a word for "one"!
The rulers, the High Ki of Twi (who are also twins), are deciding what to do with Marvel. He casts a spell that separates their shared mind into two different minds. This causes a lot of confusion, and Marvel has to fix it by bringing their minds back together.
Prince Marvel then exposes a fake magician named Kwytoffle. His toughest challenge is against the Red Rogue of Dawna. But thanks to his natural fairy powers, Marvel wins again. By the end of his year as a human, Prince Marvel has brought peace to the Island of Yew. The island becomes a much more civilized place.
Baum later used parts of this story in a short play for children called Prince Marvel. It was printed in a book called L. Frank Baum's Juvenile Speaker in 1910.
Book Editions and History
The Enchanted Island of Yew was out of print for over 50 years. It was re-released with Fanny Cory's original illustrations in 1988 by a small publisher called Buckethead Enterprises of Oz. In 1996, Books of Wonder published it with new illustrations by George O'Connor. Other versions without illustrations have also been released since then.
