The Frog Princess [Hardcover]

Laura Cecil (Author), Emma Chichester Clark (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Frog Princess

A humorous and modern retelling of a popular fairy tale classic features the loyal and royal water-splashing frog, who, at the end of the adventure, resumes the form of a princess instead of a prince.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cecil and Clark, previously paired for Listen to This and A Thousand Yards of Sea, team up again for this chipper version of an oft-told tale. Fate has promised Prince Marco to a frog bride. Dutifully accepting his lot, Marco receives help from his small green fiancee in demonstrating her cleverness to the queen, who has set various tests for her three sons' brides. But when Marco's official proposal of marriage is accepted, the amphibian metamorphoses into a beautiful woman. Cecil's text is true to its origins, though her phrasing and vocabulary often stray hilariously from the traditional. "She can't come because she has a croak in her throat," is one of Marco's funnier excuses for the frog's absence from court; Marco's portly brother marries a baker's daughter who "looked good enough to eat," etc. Clark's typically kicky watercolors rely, appropriately, on greens and bluish hues here. The characterizations are dead-on, especially the wide-eyed innocence of Marco and the benevolent expressions on the frog bride's face. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3?In this delightful retelling, the Queen orders her three sons to find wives. Bruno, who loves to eat, finds the baker's daughter, and Lucca, who changes clothes every two hours, finds the tailor's daughter. But Marco, who is a dreamer, finds only a frog. The Queen gives the prospective brides three tasks?to bake bread, to weave cloth, and to train a puppy. Each time Marco despairs that the frog will not be able to succeed, but magically and cleverly she does. Marco agrees to marry her, and she leaves the pond on a lily pad drawn by two snails. Once in the forest, the enchantment is broken, and the amphibian turns back into a princess. Cecil's witty retelling is based on Italian versions and "The Frog" from Andrew Lang's Violet Fairy Book (Dover, 1966), though it is much more entertaining than Lang's version. The beginning is similar to J. Patrick Lewis's The Frog Princess (Dial, 1994), but that tale is based on a Russian "Vasilisa/Baba Yaga" story. The watercolor illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text. Clark's depiction of the princes and their brides aptly show their personalities and are full of humor. The bright palette enlivens the visual experience and will draw children into the story. Appropriate for independent reading or reading aloud, this tale will make quite a splash!?Cheri Estes, Dorchester Road Regional Library, Charleston,
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688135064
• ISBN-13: 978-0688135065
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > European

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book, June 22, 2003

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Frog Princess (Hardcover)

I've taught 3rd to 5th grade classes, and the students always love this book. The story is well told, and the pictures are wonderfully done. I've had to buy it three times now, because students who like it too much keep stealing it! I don't know why this isn't in print anymore; it drives me crazy, trying to find copies of it. Next time I'm going to put it in a safe...