History Literature / TheLandOfGreenGinger

* BalefulPolymorph: When the Magician created the Land of Green Ginger, a glitch in the final enchantment turned him into a Button-Nosed Tortoise, and he can neither change back nor control the flying island. It's Abu Ali's destiny to save him.

* CrystalBall: Nosi Parka the Egg Head monitors events all round the world with his crystal.

* NobilityMarriesMoney: The Wicked Princes are both interested in Silver Bud because her father, Sulkpot Ben Nagnag, is the richest Wholesale Jeweller in all Araby (and because each of them despises the other). This despite the fact that their own families are evidently quite wealthy (which is just as well for them, as Sulkpot insists that his daughter will only marry a wealthy prince).

* MyBrainIsBig: Nosi Parka the Egg Head has the Baldest Head (and the Largest Nose) in the World, but is otherwise impossible to describe. He is also a mind-reader and a {{Seer}}.

* {{Seer}}: Nosi Parka the Egg Head uses his CrystalBall with flawless precision.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: It's a very soft example, but it's blatantly obvious to adult readers that Omar Khayyam is amiably drunk as a skunk when he first appears, in a children's book from a time when these wouldn't generally mention drunkenness. This may be more of a ParentalBonus or even a GeniusBonus, as the historical Omar Khayyam's poetry makes passing references to the pleasures of wine.

* BusmansVocabulary: Sinbad the Sailor ("Son of ''the'' Literature/{{Sinbad|TheSailor}}!") talks largely in nautical clichés, to the point that the reader (who first encounters him sailing a small boat on a calm river) may well dubt his authenticity.

* GenieInABottle: Abdul, the Slave of the Lamp from Aladdin's original story, now freed, can still be summoned, and is happy to act as a friendly advisor. (This treatment still uses an old-fashioned oil lamp rather than a bottle, and treats it as a summoning mechanism rather than a prison.) Later in the story, Abdul's much less competent son, Boomalakka Wee, shows up in his place, but proves rather less competent.

Some editions have illustrations by popular children's book artist Edward Ardizzone, which are another part of the book's charm. Its profile was raised in the UK in 1968 when it was read on ''Series/{{Jackanory}}'' by Creator/KennethWilliams.

The story is an early example of a modern sequel to a classic popular story, in this case that of ''Literature/{{Aladdin}}'', asking what happened after the HappilyEverAfter ending. In this case, though, there's no attempt to subvert the original story; Aladdin remains HappilyMarried to his beloved Bedr-el-Budur and is now Emperor of China, and the story begins with the birth of their son. However, to the surprise of all present, the child starts talking soon after birth, and begins by saying that Aladdin's mother has a face like a Button-Nosed Tortoise. Aladdin consults the djinn of the lamp (from the original story), who realizes that the boy must be the ChosenOne destined to break the unfortunate Spell of the Land of Green Ginger. And so, when the boy (who was also destined to be named Abu Ali) comes of age, he sets off on his adventure -- which brings him romance, and also conflict with two rival princes, the Wicked Tintac Ping Foo of Persia and the equally Wicked Prince Rubdub Ben Thud of Arabia. Langley clearly had a keen eye for tropes as well as ''that'' prose style, so the book, while aimed at children, is an immense pleasure for parents to read.

* CrystalBall: Nosi Parka the Egghead monitors events all round the world with his crystal.

* MyBrainIsBig: Nosi Parka the Egghead has the Baldest Head (and the Largest Nose) in the World, but is otherwise impossible to describe. He is also a mind-reader and a {{Seer}}.

* HappilyEverAfter: Not only does this story follow on from the happy ending of ''Literature/Aladdin'', but Abu Ali naturally gets his own happy ending. It's all in genre.

* {{Seer}}: Nosi Parka the Egghead uses his CrystalBall with flawless precision.

* FatAndSkinny: Rubdub Ben Thud and Tintac Ping Foo (who spend most of the book ganging up on Abu Ali, despite the fact that they hate each other) play hard into this trope, especially in Ardizzone's illustrations.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Abu Ali's one big fault is that he is far too willing to trust people.

->And now, if you are ready to begin, I bring you a Tale of Heroes and Villains, just as in Life; Birds and Beasts, just as in Zoos; Mysteries and Magic, just as in Daydreams; and the Wonderful Wanderings of an Enchanted Land which was never in the same place twice...

''The Land of Green Ginger'' is a children's book by the South African/American writer Noel Langley. It was first published as ''The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger'' in 1937, and was successful enough that it may have landed Langley his job working on the script ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' and hence helped launch his career as a screenwriter. It was revised with the shorter title in 1966, and that is probably the best-known and most popular version. An abridged version was published in 1975, and [[TheyChangedItAndNowItSucks is widely hated by fans of the earlier edition]], as it loses some of the jokes, one or two significant characters, and too much of the prose, which verges on the edge of {{Purple|Prose}} without ever quite falling in.