The Search for Delicious, Natalie Babbitt
The Search for Delicious, Natalie Babbitt
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The Search for Delicious

Author: Natalie Babbitt

Narrator: Daniel Henning

Unabridged: 3 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/01/2026

Synopsis

The Prime Minister is compiling a dictionary, and when no one at court can agree on the meaning of "delicious," the King sends his twelve-year-old messenger, Gaylan, to poll the citizenry. Gaylan soon discovers that the entire kingdom is on the brink of civil war, and must enlist help to define "delicious" and save the country.

The Search for Delicious is a 1969 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

About Natalie Babbitt

Artist and writer Natalie Babbitt (1932–2016) is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting and many other brilliantly original books for young people. As the mother of three small children, she began her career in 1966 by illustrating The Forty-Ninth Magician, written by her husband, Samuel Babbitt. She soon tried her own hand at writing, publishing two picture books in verse. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, was published in 1969 and established her reputation for creating magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned Babbitt a Newbery Honor in 1971, and she went on to write—and often illustrate—many more picture books, story collections, and novels. She also illustrated the five volumes in the Small Poems series by Valerie Worth. In 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture, and in 2016 a musical version premiered on Broadway. Born and raised in Ohio, Natalie Babbitt lived her adult life in the Northeast.

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Quotes

“Because of disagreement in the castle over a definition for the word 'delicious' for the new dictionary, the Prime Minister's young assistant is sent out to poll the entire citizenry. How the kingdom is saved and the definition found climaxes an imaginative, winning story.” —Starred, Booklist

“A subtly teasing fantasy-adventure that's as fresh and sparkling as spring water. It's truly delicious.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A wholly delightful story. The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry.” —The Horn Book

“This engaging story begins with a brief glimpse into the past when dwarfs, woldwellers (forest dwarfs), mermaids, and winds of the air openly inhabited the earth. The actual story unfolds much further in the future, when these amazing creatures, mostly forgotten, live in secret places. DeCree, the Prime Minister, inadvertently provokes an upheaval of the townspeople with his attempt to define the word 'delicious' for the official dictionary. Although other of his definitions have been well recieved ... he cannot secure approval for 'Delicious is fried fish,' because each government official has his own personal food preference. To alleviate the situation, DeCree's 12-year-old special assistant and adopted son, Gaylen, polls all the citizens fortheir choices. The villian of the story, the Queen's brother Hemlock, convinces the townspeople that the King will, upon outcome of the poll, prohibit the eating of certain foods; he futher instigates revolt by dammign up the water supply, but Gaylen with the help fo a mermaid foils this and a definition fo delicous is finally agreed upon . . . The definition of this well-constructed-story, combining fine imagery, humor, strong characterizations, legend, and an unobtrusive theme of good versus evil, is: a good book for children hungry for light entertainment.” —Starred, School Libarary Journal

Awards

  • Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List
  • NYTBR Notable Children's BOTY
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