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William the Curious: Knight of the Water Lilies: The Classic Edition
The tale of a courageous frog who opens a stubborn Queen’s eyes to the beauty of nature is now available in a hardcover classic edition, featuring Charles Santore’s brilliant illustrations for a new generation of readers.
The inspiring story of William the Curious tells the tale of William, a brave young frog who lives in the moat of a castle. The Queen of the Land of Far and Wide is a stubborn and impatient ruler who wreaks havoc in her kingdom and demands perfection out of all things. After tossing everything imperfect into the moat, William works up the courage to respectfully approach her, and miraculously opens her eyes to a new world. Charles Santore’s original illustrations are faithfully reproduced with brilliance, detailing the captivating scenes of William’s daring adventures and triumphant influence on the Queen.
The inspiring story of William the Curious tells the tale of William, a brave young frog who lives in the moat of a castle. The Queen of the Land of Far and Wide is a stubborn and impatient ruler who wreaks havoc in her kingdom and demands perfection out of all things. After tossing everything imperfect into the moat, William works up the courage to respectfully approach her, and miraculously opens her eyes to a new world. Charles Santore’s original illustrations are faithfully reproduced with brilliance, detailing the captivating scenes of William’s daring adventures and triumphant influence on the Queen.
44 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 1997
91 people want to read
About the author
Charles Santore
113 books30 followersCharles Santore is an American illustrator best known for his children's books. His work is on display permanently at the Brandywine River Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. He won the Hamilton King award from the New York Society of Illustrators. His book William the Curious won the 1998 Storytelling World Honor from Storytelling magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 12, 2022
I thought this story wouldn't disappoint, considering that it's medieval, has a castle with a mote, and a royal court with knights. But it's one of those preachy stories about pollution and taking note of your carbon footprint. It's also one of those stories of how woman always want more even if they're the queen and already have everything anyway. I thought I would have some consolation with the beautiful illustrations but it was mostly the frog and everything at his eye level; meaning, no faces of the royal court.
January 1, 2016
I don't know why the author picked this title -- the story and message have nothing to do with curiosity. Rather, this is a rather heavy-handed moral tale about not obviously destroying one's surroundings through waste and garbage-dumping, told through the unlikely figure of a queen who wants everything to be "perfect" and wastes lots of subject-power fixing things to look nicer and having anything flawed thrown in the moat, where the heaps destroy the lovely waterlilies and endanger the animals living there. A brave frog who for no particular reason wears a coat goes to tell the queen what's what. Apparently there are no enemy kingdoms, politics, or peasants in this world to keep her busy.
October 16, 2020
The illustrations make this story; they're absolutely beautiful.
May 9, 2011
What a great little fairy tale! This is really an environmental stewardship story posing as a fairy tale, but it gracefully straddles both genres. While stories such as The Lorax have wonderful messages, William the Curious presents a similar environmental message in a bite-sized way. Maybe we can't all stop the big environmental polluters, but maybe we can all protect that which is right under our noses and in that way work together to keep our world beautiful and livable.
My niece and nephew both enjoyed this book a great deal. The story was well-written and the illustrations were beautiful. The story was a little bit lengthy, so it might not be the most ideal bedtime story, but it is certainly well worth reading.
My niece and nephew both enjoyed this book a great deal. The story was well-written and the illustrations were beautiful. The story was a little bit lengthy, so it might not be the most ideal bedtime story, but it is certainly well worth reading.
March 28, 2014
Beautifully illustrated, this is the story of how William the Frog helps the Queen understand that perfect isn't necessarily the best.
The storytelling is a bit long (lots of words per page) and the solution is a bit sudden and simplistic.
The storytelling is a bit long (lots of words per page) and the solution is a bit sudden and simplistic.
July 3, 2022
This is so cute ❤️ if you like frogs and art you will like this, I love frogs and I love the art style so I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a children’s book and I am an adult but the cover drew me in and I’m glad I read it. It’s just a short little story about a frog that lives in a moat outside the queens castle. I love the drawings of the moat, they are so beautiful. I think it has a nice happy ending and a message of not everything has to be perfect, and don’t litter.
April 1, 2023
It's 5 stars for the illustrations, and 3 or 3.5 for the story for me. The moral is that perfectionism can result in unintended negative consequences.
But the illustrations....! Will be looking into other books that Charles Santore has done. Simply beautiful.
But the illustrations....! Will be looking into other books that Charles Santore has done. Simply beautiful.
January 2, 2021
My 20 month old loves this story. He's had me read it 7 of the last 8 nights! He likes to pet the swan and point at the fish and say "fish!", and he'll say "moat!" anytime I say moat during the story.
October 8, 2023
This super wordy picture book is a moral fable about not polluting the environment. There are some creative elements here, and the illustrations are beautiful, but I was hoping for a good story, not a lecture.
December 19, 2025
This is a gentle fairy tale written by illustrator Charles Santore, with the title frog as protagonist and a selfish but not evil queen as antagonist.
Santore's oil paintings are 5-star, but his original tale doesn't stack up to traditional folk tales or Hans Andersen. Hence 4 stars.
Santore's oil paintings are 5-star, but his original tale doesn't stack up to traditional folk tales or Hans Andersen. Hence 4 stars.
October 31, 2019
A strong moral to live by presented by an brave and adorable frog.
March 23, 2020
Another book read by one of my 4th graders and reviewed for me that I very much enjoyed. The story is well told and the illustrations are very beautiful.
August 21, 2020
Beautiful paintings and sweet story
January 13, 2013
Finally re-written to make sense; Gawwwd I've got to preview my reviews! And use spell check!
I was drawn to this by the cover...yeah yeah I know shut it! But the illustration of the frog at the feet of a knight in chain mail with a sword point not too far from our hero's feet, was just so endearing I couldn't pass it by.
What I found inside was just as lovely, the illustrations by Charles Santore are wistful and lush, just as a fairy tale should be. The detail is amazing, the colours, are soft and velvety.( I just wanted to pet them....sigh!)
William or hero lives in the moat below the castle, and is very happy there, but he is curious to know what's its like INSIDE the wonderous castle above. He hears the humans talking and they keep saying, that the Queen is unhappy. She wants everything to be perfect. So she bans every un-perfect thing and has it all thrown out of the castle.
Well where do you think all of those un-perfect things end up? Yes, you guessed it, in Williams beautiful formerly pristine moat! Something must be done, there's trash everywhere. William and all his friends are frantically looking for a safe place to hide, as objects plummet from above. When he decides to go to the drawbridge to demand an explanation, the knights have no time for William and chase him off to his now clogged moat. "What to do?"
He searches through the trash and discovers a little toy knight in armor just his size. So being the clever frog that he is... You get the idea!
This was charming and wonderful, with a great moral at the end, not too preachy, about the environment mind you, just right. And the illustrations are FIRST RATE!
I was drawn to this by the cover...yeah yeah I know shut it! But the illustration of the frog at the feet of a knight in chain mail with a sword point not too far from our hero's feet, was just so endearing I couldn't pass it by.
What I found inside was just as lovely, the illustrations by Charles Santore are wistful and lush, just as a fairy tale should be. The detail is amazing, the colours, are soft and velvety.( I just wanted to pet them....sigh!)
William or hero lives in the moat below the castle, and is very happy there, but he is curious to know what's its like INSIDE the wonderous castle above. He hears the humans talking and they keep saying, that the Queen is unhappy. She wants everything to be perfect. So she bans every un-perfect thing and has it all thrown out of the castle.
Well where do you think all of those un-perfect things end up? Yes, you guessed it, in Williams beautiful formerly pristine moat! Something must be done, there's trash everywhere. William and all his friends are frantically looking for a safe place to hide, as objects plummet from above. When he decides to go to the drawbridge to demand an explanation, the knights have no time for William and chase him off to his now clogged moat. "What to do?"
He searches through the trash and discovers a little toy knight in armor just his size. So being the clever frog that he is... You get the idea!
This was charming and wonderful, with a great moral at the end, not too preachy, about the environment mind you, just right. And the illustrations are FIRST RATE!
June 15, 2016
I picked this one up because I liked the look of the cover. I didn't think my son could make it through this book because it was so long, but he was rapt the entire time. William the Curious is a frog who lives in the moat of a Queen's castle. One day, the queen decides that anything that is not perfect within the castle must be thrown out the window. Soon the moat is full of discarded items and the fish, frogs and other wildlife are afraid. All of the plants have been killed except for one water lily. William picks up the costume of a toy knight and dresses himself up and brings the flower to the queen, determined to ask her one question about perfection. It is cool because it's not only a fairytle of a sort but also about protecting the environment. My son really enjoyed the book and wants me to read it to him again. The illustrations were rich and detailed and I loved them. Recommended for ages 5-9, 4 stars.
June 2, 2014
This is gorgeously illustrated and is definitely an addition you want for your child's fairy tales collection. William is an unusual frog who lives in the moat surrounding the Queen's castle and life is good. One day however, the Queen decides she doesn't want anything but perfection around her so everything imperfect is unceremoniously tossed into the moat. As William tries to comprehend why his beautiful home is being destroyed and why the Queen is so determined to have only perfection, he decides the only way to find out is to ask her directly. His heroic efforts are what leads to the heart of the story and its only conclusion that perfection, indeed, is not the true beauty the Queen seeks. Just a lovely tale about why imperfection is truly beautiful.
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June 13, 2014
WILLIAM THE CURIOUS: KNIGHT OF THE WATER LILIES
It was the cover of this book that initially drew me to it. The glorious artwork is compelling, holding you to relish every detail in each beautifully rendered painting. The story is a modern-day fairytale, though it takes place in another time and place. With touches of absurdity and humor, through William, a very special frog, the great Queen is brought to task on her need for perfectionism. It is an enjoyable, meaty (longer text) picture storybook worth the read!
May 14, 2014
This is a nicely written fable about a frog who saved a kingdom from a queen's destructive habits. It's rather a long story, but would be good to read to older children who are interested in fairy tales. It is touching and has a happy ending.
January 20, 2015
What a terrific book picked it up while at an exhibit dealing with
Knights & Heroes and was entranced by not only the artwork but also such a elegant tale simply told even if you don't have kids pick it up and read it you will not be dissapointed
Knights & Heroes and was entranced by not only the artwork but also such a elegant tale simply told even if you don't have kids pick it up and read it you will not be dissapointed
March 3, 2014
Frog helps Queen understand that everything doesn’t have to be perfect after she pollutes her moat by throwing all her worn items into it.
July 28, 2014
Nice story and beautiful illustrations.
February 10, 2015
An affirmation of the small and mighty.
August 27, 2016
A beautifully illustrated story that has an environmental message.
When the Queen insist on "Perfection," she unknowingly damages William's home.
When the Queen insist on "Perfection," she unknowingly damages William's home.
September 2, 2017
This book is about not trying to be perfect. And how seeking perfection makes you lose sight of that which matters most or is closest to you.
The frog shows us that even little people can stand up for things they believe in and be a knight/courageous.
The frog shows us that even little people can stand up for things they believe in and be a knight/courageous.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews