A Frog Prince [Paperback]

Alix Berenzy (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1991 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Rebuffed by the princess after retrieving her golden ball, a noble frog sets out to find a more suitable mate.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Once upon a time there lived a frog who loved a Princess." This is how Alix Berenzy begins her rendition of the Grimm fairy tale A Frog Prince, slightly tweaked and fully satisfying. When the princess drops her golden ball in the swamp by accident, the dog-sized frog is right there to help her out. She promises him she will let him live with her in the castle if he retrieves the ball. He follows through, but she does not, and in fact proves to be quite callous. After the moon sings him an inspirational song, the brave, resourceful, sensitive frog vows to go out into the world to find a princess who can appreciate his finer qualities. In true fairy-tale fashion, the frog faces three challenges on his journey: two terrible trolls, a green-faced witch, and even the End of the World. But the gentle frog meets each challenge with bravery and kindness toward smaller creatures, who aid him in unexpected ways.

He finally does chance upon the princess of his dreams, blushes a deep green, and rejoices when the lovely frog princess asks him to marry her! Berenzy's paintings are dark and mysterious, in deep jewel tones that fit the mood of her story. In contrast to the Grimm original, this story does not reward a selfish princess for gradually learning to tolerate the frog. This is the tale of a frog on a mission who knows he needs to find someone who is smart and sensitive enough to value him for his true self, warts and all. Young readers will love this story and its charming, beautiful illustrations. (Ages 5 to 9) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?The hero of this neoclassical fairy tale is a veritable prince of a frog--brave, honest, and true. Overcoming great obstacles and depths of despair, he is finally rewarded with his heart's desire. Vivid paintings are rich in detail and illuminated with jewel-like gleam in this sparkling effort.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805018484
• ISBN-13: 978-0805018486
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Popular Characters > Fairy Tales & Folk Tales > Frog Prince

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Charmer!, August 30, 2003

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Frog Prince (Paperback)

Everyone knows the story of the Frog Prince, and the idea of "kissing a frog to make a prince" is a well-loved verse around the world. But did you ever think that the spoilt Princess, who first broke her promise to the frog who rescued her ball and then threw him across the room in disgust before he changed into a prince was a little undeserving of her happily ever after? (Some versions of the story have the princess kissing the frog to change him back, but the throwing against the wall is the original and correct tale).

Alix Berenzy thought so, and resolved to retell and reillustrate the traditional tale from the frog's point of view. Sure enough, it starts on familiar territory: the Princess drops her golden ball into the pond and the frog retrieves it for her, on the condition that the Princess let him go with her into her palace and remain her companion. The ball is fetched, but the Princess regrets her decision to have the frog as a house guest, and only goes through with her promise on the instruction of her father.

But here is where the tale changes - hearing a riddle from the singing moon, the frog decides to go on a quest to find a *true* princess - one that will love him for his inner beauty. The king obliges, shamed by his daughter's ingratitude, and grants him royal clothes and a white pony. Following the sun by day and the moon by night, the frog begins his quest, traversing dangerous trolls, wicked witches, tangled woods and misty oceans to reach the End of the World and the Princess that awaits. Alix Berenzy creates a great twist in the tale by describing the beauty of the Princess in the castle, but making the reader turn the page to see her appearence on the following page - and that appearence is not what you'd expect!

The story is a lovely retelling of the traditional tale, undated somewhat for today's standards of teaching kids to look beyond a person's appearence to the soul within. This sentiment is the theme of the entire book, but with side plots of escapes and quests, Alix Berenzy thankfully does not jam it down our throats, and it is shared without overly dramatising it. The illustrations are of course stunning. As a children's illustrator Alix Berenzy is right up there with the masters: K. Y. Craft, Ruth Sanderson and Alan Lee - her paintings especially have a brightness and vividness to them that make them seem to leap out of the pages. She is a master at creating light - whether it be the light filtering through the woods, creating a path way of light, or the beautiful orange colours of the setting sun on the ocean as the frog prince crosses it on the back of a turtle. This is definitely a must have children's book, especially if you're a fan of the frog prince tale (try the Canon Movietale "The Frog Prince" starring Helen Hunt and Aileen Quinn) or moralistic stories of finding love below the surface (there are lots of similiarities here to the movie "Shrek" - even the colour green!) Highly recommended.

"Little green frog alone at night,
Beauty is in the beholder's sight.
Follow the sun, then follow me,
To lands beyond, across the sea.
In another kingdom you shall find,
A true princess, of a different mind."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gorgeous Original Fairy Tale, October 4, 2004

By 

Cathytg "cathytg" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Frog Prince (Paperback)

Frankly, before I read this book to my daughter I was prepared not to like it. Hmmm, another preachy pansy-pants rewrite of a classic story to give it a moral with a capital M? However, I was pleasantly blown away by the lovely, luminous artwork -- and, even better, by the story. Far from just sanitizing the Frog Prince fable, Berenzy has managed to create an original story with all the horror and wonder of a great fairy tale. The scary parts are quite thrillingly SCARY, and the frog's quest is told in nicely poetic language. The illustrations are eye-popping and humorous by turns, and measure up to the likes of Kinuko Craft and Gennady Spirin.

I'm not going to throw out the original Frog Prince, bratty princess and all -- but this is a work certainly worthy to sit next to it on the bookshelf, and Berenzy's tale by no means suffers in comparison.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh Mommy, Read it Again!, October 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Frog Prince (Hardcover)

Is what our daughter exclaimed after we read her this book for the first time. The illustrations are Chris Van Allsburg (SP?) quality, the pace is just right for an attentive 3 to 4 year old. The frog keeps a steady moral high ground in both thought and deed while searching for the princess who is right for him. The end is quite a surprize, if only because of our preconceptions of the standard frog prince tale.