The Nutmeg Princess
by Richardo Keens-Douglas
illustrated by Annouchka Galouchko
In this joyous, modern fable, only those with goodness of heart can see the elusive vision. On the Caribbean island called the "Isle of Spice," there was a lake with a nutmeg grove nearby. On the lake, some said, live the Nutmeg Princess -- but she would only appear when the nutmeg was ready for picking, and the sweet smell of the spice filled the air. If you were lucky, you might see her, but to do so you had to rise at 4 a.m. and sit just so by the edge of the lake. Two children are determined to do just that, and the townspeople follow along. Only the two children are gifted with a vision of her and her wisdom "Go now, follow your dreams, and if you believe in yourselves, all things are possible." And then she was gone, never to reappear.
close this panelRichardo Keens-Douglas is an award-winning actor, playwright, author, and storyteller. His works for children have appeared on the American Bookseller's Pick of the Lists and earned a Storytelling World Honor Award. Richardo's stories and presentations touch on the themes of faith, slavery, materialism and family, and offer an important message to children and their educators on the triumph of the human spirit: "If you believe in yourself all things are possible."
Richardo currently divides his time between his home in Toronto and Grenada. He is the host of the Caribbean version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Annouchka Gravel Galouchko was born in Montreal, but has since lived in Iran, Egypt, Mexico and Austria. She has illustrated several books, including The Treasures of Trinkamalee. In 1995, Annouchka won the 1995 Governor General's Literary Award for illustration in the French edition of Sho and the Demons of the Deep. Now, Annouchka works full-time as an artist in mixed media.
