Adalmina’s Pearl: An Old Finnish Folk Tale

What if every gift you were born with could be lost in a single day, and you had to discover who you were without them?Long ago, a king and queen welcomed a daughter named Adalmina. At her christening, two mysterious women bestowed extraordinary gifts upon the child.One promised her beauty, grace, and good fortune, all bound to a precious pearl.The other gave her something quieter: if the pearl were ever lost, Adalmina would lose the gifts that made the world admire her, but in their place, a different kind of treasure might be found.As Adalmina grows, so does her beauty. Surrounded by admiration and accustomed to being treated as exceptional, she begins to believe that what makes her precious can be seen in a mirror.Then the pearl disappears.Suddenly stripped of the life she has always known, Adalmina finds herself far from the palace and among people who do not know her name. Without rank, jewels, or the beauty that once opened every door, she must learn to live as an ordinary girl.And for the first time, she begins to discover what no mirror could ever show her.Meanwhile, a young man named Sigismund remembers the princess others have forgotten and sets out to find her.Adalmina's Pearl is a beautifully illustrated classic northern European fairy tale of a magical pearl, a proud princess, a forgotten young man, and an unexpected journey that changes them both.Rich with royal halls, forest paths, old magic, delicate watercolor illustrations, and the quiet atmosphere of northern Europe, this retelling invites young readers and the adults who read with them to consider an enduring question: If everything others admired about you disappeared, what would remain?A story about losing what seems most precious and discovering something far more difficult to lose.Old Tales - Timeless Wisdom Book Four