Customer Reviews

The Frog Prince (Hello Reader! Level 3, Grades 1 & 2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This modification of the classic tale of the ugly frog turned into a handsome prince lacks the charm of the original tale. It is true that the frog is eventually turned into a handsome prince by the actions of a princess and they live happily ever after. However, the princess made a promise to the frog when he retrieved her golden ball and she had to be commanded to keep that promise. In a fit of frustration she hurls the frog against the wall and it is this action that turns him into a prince.
In my opinion, this renders the story inappropriate for children. They are so impressionable that it is not out of the realm of possibility that some child may try the same thing. Also, the princess is a mean person, refusing to even thank the frog for retrieving her golden ball. I would not read this book to my child.

This re-tooling of a classic might amuse children, and since they're the target audience... maybe it's not as bad as I think. I think it's pretty bad, though.

An ugly frog helps a beautiful princess get back her golden ball when it falls into a well. In return, she promises to let him live with her and be her playmate - even though she has no intention of keeping her promise. When he follows her home and she tells her father the story, her father insists she honor her promise. A rather shocking (for a little kids' book) act of violence turns the frog into a prince, they wed and live happily ever after.

Having grown up with the Brothers Grimm, I realize that a great many old tales have things in them that, today, bother us (boiling children in Hansel and Gretel, for example). But this is a more modern (1974) re-write and that makes the princess throwing the frog at the wall a bit more offensive. That's not the worst of it, in my opinion - the fact that, despite having been lied to and thrown at the wall by the princess, the frog marries her anyway... THAT'S the worst part!

The illustrations are poor, with the only potential for redemption being that the "beautiful" princess appears NOT to be a stick-thin female. The lesson ideas in the beginning are about the best part of the book but they're just not enough to make buying this book worthwhile.

- AnnaLovesBooks

I was reading this to my child for the first time and actually had to ad lib a new ending, the one in the book is so atrocious. What kind of bratty self indulgent behavior does this teach? In the original story didn't the princess see past the frog's ugliness and kiss him and then find out he was a prince? In this version the princess throws the frog violently against the wall and poof he becomes a prince and marries her. I promptly placed the book in the recycling pile after making up a new ending for our first and only reading.

I was looking for the classic tale of Frog meets Princess and mistakenly picked up this book. Dreadful.

First, although we have liked James Marshall's artwork elsewhere, there's nothing special here. The drawings are simple and generally uninspired.

Second. Who thought a rewrite with the princess slamming the frog against the wall was a good idea?!? Not us. In fact, my husband nixed the idea of reading this to our small children after he gave it a preliminary perusal.

From the book:

That made the princess very
angry.
She picked up the frog, and
she threw him against the wall!
But when he fell to the
floor; the frog was no longer
a frog.

Note that there is no explanation of why this outburst led to the witches spell being broken. [Perhaps we should slam each other around to see if there's a prince or princess hiding within--lol]

Two Stars. So-so art. Not true to the original tale.

Look up the original Brother's Grimm The Frog Prince and you will find that the princess is mean to the frog and yes, she does throw him against the wall causing him to turn back into his human form. It was not a kiss that changed him back. The theory on why he is thrown is that, during the time(1700's)the Grimm brothers were traveling the land collecting up oral stories, it was believed that a powerful blow could break a changeling spell (the prince was "changed" into a frog).
The pictures are funny and put a lighthearted spin on what is truly, and originally, a not so very nice tale.

How does a prince propose marriage to a nasty princess who throws him against the wall after enduring her abuse from the very moment they met, is beyond my comprehension. Why does the princess accepts this offer after so much repulsion toward the frog can only be explained by the prince's new looks after the spell is broken. This book teaches children that beauty is better than values or character and that violence is the solution to problems. I am surprised Scholastic is even publishing this book. Stay away from this book!

This is a good story for kids because it teaches that, sometimes, we need a startling event to wake us up to a better way to be. I admit the original Grimm ending is a bit much, so I've taken the liberty--I tell stories to groups of youngsters--of altering the ending just a bit so that the Princess 'grows up' and the Prince himself is saved by her behavior.
here's my alteration:

The princess grew very angry. `I wont, I wont, I wont!' & she picked up the frog & threw him across the room! SPLAT! Up vs. th wall! He fell to the floor & didn't get up.
`Oh dear! I hope I haven't hurt him! I didn't mean to hurt him!' She picked him up. `One time when I got hurt, my daddy picked me up & kissed me & I got well again! Maybe I can make the frog get well again too!' She kissed him.
SWOOSH! The frog became a tall, handsome prince w/a kindly smile.
`Who are YOU?' she cried.
`I am a prince! A long time ago, a wicked witch turned me into a frog because I wouldn't marry her. She said she'll fix it so NOBODY w/marry me then, because nobody w/care for a slimy frog! But you care! You care enough to kiss me! Because of you, I am a prince again. Will you marry me?'
And she did.

My first-grader brought this book home from school. I was appalled at the story, as the moral of the story seemed to be that you get rewarded for being mean and shallow. From the other reviewers, you probably read what the plot is. I was very disturbed by the fact that the princess mistreated the frog because he was unattractive, but marries him as soon as she throws him against the wall and he magically transforms into a prince. This is a terrible message for young children, telling them that someone is only worthy if they are either attractive or is a prince. Don't buy this book.

I liked this version of the Frog Prince. The standard line is that the Princess agrees to take a less than wonderful partner in exchange for an act which she is not allowed to do (retrieve the golden ball). Then the price must be paid. All standard stuff. HOWEVER, the princess has a bit too much when required to share her bed with this loathsome item. At that point, she slams the frog against the wall and he is magically transformed into a more pleasant alternative. Perhaps girl children should learn that it is necessary to stand up and smack the fellow to get him to step into line. I like this version of the story very much.

In this version, the princess throws the frog against the wall - and then he turns into a prince, they get married and live happily ever after. It's the strangest "children's" book ever. My daughter was doing her homework - reading this book to me aloud - in the car on the way to dance practice. When she got to the throwing the frog against the wall part, I had her re-read it to me because I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it.

To top it off, the princess is rude (no thank you for the frog) and calls him "nasty" throughout. Then, her father, the king, seems like a bully. He forces her to live up to her end of the bargain between his daughter and the "nasty" frog. Granted, she needs to keep her promise - but to me, it just felt demeaning... that her father was siding with a frog over something that the daughter felt so strongly about.

And this is a Scholastic book. Seriously?!?! I'm just in shock.

Ms. Tarcov dedicates the book to Tara and Joshua. I feel sorry for them.