by Tony Wilson (Author) Sue Degennaro (Illustrator)
In this modern take on the Princess and the Pea, Prince Henrik decides that sometimes real princesses can be too sensitive! Prince Henrik wants to marry an outdoorsy kind of girl, so instead of a single pea tucked into a pile of bedding, Henrik tests prospective brides with an entire packet of frozen peas shoved under a flimsy camping mattress.
Henrik despairs as princess after princess complains, until one day the just-right girl shows up unexpectedly in the form of his old friend, Pippa. Pippa is all too happy to join Henrik in pitching a tent or playing a hard game of hockey, after which she finds the perfect use for that packet of frozen peas!
In this remix of the fairy tale, Tony Wilson and Sue deGennaro deliver a freshly humorous take on one prince's search for the girl of his dreams.
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K-Gr 3-Prince Henrik, a younger brother of the prince from "The Princess and the Pea," is looking for a bride. There's only one problem-though gaggles of flower-throwing girls pursue him, he has difficulty choosing "the one." Soliciting his older brother Hans's advice, he's told that the most important qualities in a "real princess" are beauty and sensitivity, as revealed by the old pea-under-the-mattress test. As he observes Hans's wife, he discovers that "sensitive" really means whiny and demanding and wisely decides that he doesn't wants a "real princess" but instead a girl with a nice smile who would share his interests. As his test, he uses a camping mattress, a sleeping bag, and a packet of frozen peas, getting rid of many bewildered girls. His quest concludes happily when his friend Pippa comes to stay and passes the test with flying colors. DeGennaro's sparely drawn cartoon characters delight with their expressiveness, perfectly complementing Wilson's snarky humor. It's hard not to laugh at the depiction of Hans's snidely sneering spouse "being sensitive about the tennis balls" when they are "too bouncy." Whimsical details are scattered throughout the book-the prince snoozing with field hockey trophies, his sleeping bag covered with "Zs," and, of course, green peas on nearly every page. A lighthearted modern take on the familiar fairy tale, this would be a welcome addition to most collections.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Prince Henrik yearns for a girl who likes hockey and camping, but his older brother, Hans, insists that only a "real" princess who's "very beautiful and very sensitive" will do. Someone like Hans's wife, Eva, who passed the pea-under-the-mattresses-test with flying colors, but whose sensitivity really amounts to being a self-important whiner. Will Henrik find true love with his own version of the test, which involves frozen peas and a sleeping bag? And will anyone be surprised that the winner is his old pal Pippa, who's sporty but not posh and "has a lovely gap between her two front teeth"? This story has indie rom-com written all over it (think The Royal Tenenbaums). Whether children warm to the book's laid-back vibe, Wilson's reportorial prose and deGennaro's hipster naif sketches give this tale of unconventional princes and princesses an authenticity that not all stories in this mold possess. There are plenty of boys who would enjoy hanging out with gangly, always-game Pippa, and just as many girls who would be happy to emulate her. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2012 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.