Character guide
Who's who in Daffydowndilly and the Golden Touch by Benson, Alpha Banta: meet the 5 main characters, see how they connect, and open a detailed profile for each.
5 illustrated profiles
Also known as King Midas, the king, friend Midas, poor foolish Midas, unhappy Midas
A wealthy king who loves gold above everything except his daughter, Marygold. His greed leads him to wish for the Golden Touch, but he eventually learns that love and ordinary pleasures matter more than riches.
As drawn: A middle-aged man in beautiful garments of gold, wearing spectacles whose lenses have turned into opaque gold plates.
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Also known as the king’s daughter, my dear child, child, poor child
Midas’s little daughter, whom he loves deeply. She is fond of roses and the pictures on her breakfast bowl.
As drawn: A young girl with blue eyes, brown hair tinged with gold, and a pretty dimple in her chin; she wears a child’s dress and apron.
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Also known as the little boy, my little friend, the poor boy
A cheerful but lazy little boy who prefers play to work and runs away from school. After encountering toil in many forms, he returns to school and learns to appreciate his schoolmaster.
As drawn: A young boy with bright blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and hair like spun gold, dressed in simple child’s clothes.
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Also known as the old schoolmaster, the schoolmaster, old Mr. Toil, the master
Daffydowndilly’s schoolmaster, a stern, hardworking man whose likeness appears in many people representing different kinds of work and effort. Daffydowndilly eventually discovers that he is not so bad after all.
As drawn: An elderly man with a deeply lined, frowning face, dressed in severe old-fashioned schoolmaster’s clothes and carrying a stick.
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Also known as the fiddler, another brother of the schoolmaster
A fiddler who is described as another brother of Mr. Toil. Although he calls himself Mr. Pleasure, his real name is Toil, suggesting that pleasure also requires effort.
As drawn: An elderly man who looks exactly like Mr. Toil, with the same deeply lined, frowning face and severe old-fashioned clothes, but carrying a violin bow instead of a stick.
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Storieta keeps this cast at your side while you read Daffydowndilly and the Golden Touch, portraits, names, and an ask-anything assistant that only knows what you've read so far. No spoilers, ever.
Explore the book page for Daffydowndilly and the Golden Touch and read the opening free, with no account needed.
Every cast illustrated from the original text.
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