William the Curious ─ Knight of the Water Lilies

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.

Charles Santore is a renowned children’s book illustrator whose work has been widely exhibited in museums and celebrated with recognitions such as the prestigious Hamilton King Award, the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence, and the Original Art 2000 Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Santore is best known for his luminous interpretations of classic children’s stories such as Snow White, The Night Before Christmas and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride, which was named 2004 Children’s Book of the Year for Poetry by the Bank Street College Children’s Book Committee. His illustrations for The Wizard of Oz, which is widely considered to be the quintessential illustrated version, were used as the scenic backdrops for a major television performance of the work. Charles Santore lives and works in Philadelphia.