The Firework Maker's Daughter

The magic of Pullman's delightful story about the firework maker's young daughter whose bravery, courage and loyalty saves her father and puts her up among the greatest firework makers in the world, is minimised in this over-theatrical reading with too much stage Chinese speak and atmospheric music. Nonetheless, it remains a glorious fairy story with charming modern overtones such as the elephant's side being used as a walking advertising hoarding. The rich visual images that Pullman summons up, especially when it comes to the descriptions of the fireworks at the life-saving competition, dazzle while the complicated puns on names and music work better on tape than in print.