The Firework-Maker's Daughter facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Philip Pullman |
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| Illustrator | Nick Harris (UK edition) S. Saelig Gallagher (US edition) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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2 November 1995 |
| Pages | 112 |
| ISBN | 0-385-40527-8 |
| OCLC | 43161803 |
The Firework-Maker's Daughter is an exciting children's story written by the famous author Philip Pullman. It was first released in the United Kingdom by Doubleday in 1995. This book is a novella, which means it's shorter than a full novel but longer than a short story. The first UK version had pictures drawn by Nick Harris, and a later edition in the United States featured art by S. Saelig Gallagher.
Philip Pullman first created this story as a play for schools. Later, the book itself was also turned into a stage play.
Contents
What is The Firework-Maker's Daughter About?
This story follows a brave young girl named Lila. She dreams of becoming a master firework-maker, just like her father, Lalchand. Even though Lila is very talented, her father thinks that making fireworks is not a suitable job for girls. Lila strongly disagrees with him.
Lila's Dangerous Journey
To prove herself and become a true firework-maker, Lila decides to go on a very important journey. She needs to get special Royal Sulphur from a fiery creature called Razvani the Fire-Fiend. This monster lives on a dangerous place called Mount Merapi. All new firework-makers must complete this task.
Lila's quest almost fails because she doesn't have the right protection from the Fire-Fiend's flames. She also doesn't have the "Three Gifts" that she is supposed to give to Razvani. Luckily, her loyal friends come to help her. These friends are Hamlet, a talking white elephant, and Chulak, who takes care of Hamlet. They manage to bring Lila some special water from the Goddess of the Emerald Lake. This water protects her from the fire.
To Lila's surprise, Razvani recognizes her as a true firework-maker. The Fire-Fiend even says that Lila has brought the Three Gifts, even though Lila herself doesn't know what these gifts are.
Returning Home and the Competition
When Lila finally returns home, she finds out that her father, Lalchand, has been put in prison. This happened because Hamlet, the talking elephant, disappeared. To save her father's life, Lila and Lalchand must win a big competition. This competition is part of the Firework Festival, and many other very skilled firework-makers are taking part.
Lila and Lalchand work together and manage to win the competition! After their victory, Lalchand explains a very important lesson to his daughter. He tells her that she truly does have the Three Gifts. These gifts are not physical objects. Instead, they are her talent, her perseverance (meaning she never gives up), and her good luck.
Lalchand explains that Lila has great talent because she has worked with him making fireworks for many years. She showed courage and perseverance by going on her dangerous journey. And her good fortune comes from having such loyal friends as Chulak and Hamlet.
How The Story Was Adapted
The Firework-Maker's Daughter has been turned into an opera. An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing. The music for this opera was created by David Bruce, and the words (called the libretto) were written by Glyn Maxwell.
This opera was first shown at the Hull Truck Theatre in March 2013. After that, it toured around the UK and even went to the New Victory Theater in New York City.
