Customer Reviews

The Princess and the Pea (Classic Fairy Tale Collection)

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

 

 

My four-year-old daughter is captivated by this book. So am I. The story is timeless. It is extremely well written with delightful language and a warm and friendly writing style. The illustrations are gorgeous. I always dreamed of being an author of children's books. This is the type of book I would love to write.

This is a beautiful version of the traditional tale. The writing is accessible and the illustrations are exceptional. A copy worth keeping for the next generation. Probably a bit old for anyone younger than 3 or 4, however.

"The Princess and the Pea" was always one of my favorite stories as a child, so when my 2 year old showed an interest in everything "princess", I hunted down this book and bought it for her. She wasn't too interested in it at first -- it is a longer story -- but recently (she's now 2 1/2) she has been demanding that my husband and I read it to her each night.

The illustrations are soft, and beautiful, and the story is the same as I remember it. The author does seem to add in a bit at the end about how the prince knew she was a princess without his mother's test (or, at least I don't remember this part of the story). The prince says, "...I didn't need a pea to tell me she is a real princess. I could see it in the gentleness of her eyes, hear it in the softness of her voice, and feel it in the kindness of her heart."

I like this because it allows the princess in the story to be more than just an attractive damsel in distress. She's more than a title to the prince, more than just a pretty face he's going to marry. I hope my daughter pick up on this as well.

As for those who said the book is too much for younger kids, perhaps it may be for those who don't show a keen interest in books (or princesses). But, my daughter loves it and seems to grasp the story. Then again, we've been reading to her since before she was born, and she's a bookworm already.

My daughter is 2 1/2, and loves princess stories. I think the story is well written, but a tad adult. I think this book is more appropriate (due to language) for an older child (5-7 year old.) The illustrations aren't as wonderful as I would have hoped. But all in all, it's cute.

Allow me to preface this review by saying that I am not really a tough, modern, feminist woman (more power to you, if you are). I am thrilled to have a college degree that collects dust as I stay home to raise my four children. I love being treated differently than men. I cry in movies like "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Notebook" and, dare I say it, "Tangled." I like simple, old-fashioned things. But not this book. It is waaaaaay too dated for my taste.

A seemingly snotty prince exhausts himself and his royal parents trying to find "a true princess" to marry. Just when he had given up, one stormy night a young woman knocks on the palace door. She says she is a princess and has lost her family in the storm. The queen orders her servants to pile up all the mattresses and feather comforters they can find to ensure this princess sleeps well. The queen places a single pea under the pile of mattresses because real princesses are "very sensitive" (translation: fussy), and would notice such a thing. Sure enough, the next morning the nameless damsel in distress complains of back problems, so the queen is convinced she really is a princess. She shares this discovery with her son and he claims he already knew because he could "see it in the gentleness of her eyes, hear it in the softness of her voice, and feel it in the kindness of her heart." Blah. And so the prince and princess were married. Boring.

After studying English literature for four years in college I still don't really understand why some stories have made their way into the "classics" club. For some reason this book was more excruciating for me than those old Disney princess movies where the beautiful heroine is weak and dull and weepy. With so many other rich stories available from authors with a little more depth and character, I don't care to ever read this one to my children again.

The author skillfully wrote a book about a princess, prince, king, and queen. The setting of the story is in a castle. The problem is that the princess was in a storm. The ending is when the prince and princess got married.