Princess Pigsty [Hardcover]

Cornelia Funke (Author), Chantal Wright (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The fourth picture book by literary sensation Funke and celebrated illustrator Meyer; a modern-day, girl-powered, fairy-tale-in-reverse!

One morning Princess Isabella throws her crown out the window--it's BORING being a princess, she declares. When she steadfastly refuses to fetch her crown from the fishpond, her father, the king, puts his royal foot down. "Off to the pigsty with you!" he commands--and Isabella couldn't be happier about her punishment! Because while plain old princesses spend all their time primping and smiling and stifling yawns--yuckety-yuk!-- REAL girls get to peel onions, pick blackberries, and sometimes even sleep outside with the pigs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Princess Isabella is tired of being pampered, and of sitting around being pretty. She wants to climb trees, wear pants, and make her own sandwiches. She wants to have fun. One morning, after she throws her crown in the fishpond and refuses to be a royal anymore, her father orders her to work in the kitchens for punishment. For three days she is happy doing chores, and when the king sends for her, she refuses to retrieve her regal headdress. This time he sends her to the pigsty. Isabella likes this work even better—the pigs are smart and interesting. When her father sends for her again, she not only refuses to get her crown, but also to put on a dress or comb her hair. That evening the king tells his daughter that she may do what makes her happy as long as she returns to the castle because he misses her. This sweet and amusing tale makes use of bold type that resembles handwriting to emphasize important words such as "boring," "pinched," "stink," and "pigsty." The comical watercolor illustrations are replete with royal reds, golds, and purples. They clearly depict the expressions of the characters in an entertaining and refreshing way. Pair this one with Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess (Annick, 1992) for a storytime about independent-minded royals.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Here's a bracing alternative to sticky-sweet princess tales from the creators of two previous picture books starring powerful girls (The Princess Knight, 2004, and Pirate Girl, 2005). Sick of her pampered existence, Princess Isabella tosses aside her tiara, declaring, "I want to get dirty!" The outraged king prescribes tours of duty in the kitchens and pigsty, but Isabella merely revels in the good, honest work and good, honest mess--until her father cajoles her from the pigsty with tender words of respect and love. Not every reader will be convinced by Isabella's embrace of toil over the palace's luxurious amenities, complete with cushion-toting servants "so that the royal behinds always had something soft to sit on." But most kids will relate to her spirit of rebellion, especially as embodied in Meyer's ebullient watercolors of the beaming, disheveled girl darting about in a pair of sturdy trousers. Wright's translation of Funke's German text into idiomatic English ("Yuckety yuck") will be a treat to read aloud, despite the curious emphasis of random words in boldfaced type. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: The Chicken House; USA edn. edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043988554X
• ISBN-13: 978-0439885546
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher's Perspective, September 9, 2008

By 

S. White "Read2Learn" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princess Pigsty (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic piece of modern fantasy which chronicles the relationship between a young, non-conformist princess and her family. In the story, little Isabella decides good manners, pretty dresses, and being clean are all quite boring. He father (the king) decides to discipline her by sending her first to the kitchen to cook then to the pigsty to work...and Isabella loves her new duties at the castle! Her father finally accepts that Isabella desires a different way of life.

This book holds a special place in my heart because I have a non-conformist, 5-year-old Isabella in my home as well. The story is one of love and acceptance within a healthy family. The parents want only the best for little Isabella...and I can certainly relate to that...but eventually decide that she has her own goals and they must honor her desires to a point. A real-life lesson rolled into a fun fairytale package.

In the classroom, I would read this book alongside other tales involving royalty and castles then compare the tone and style of this book with the others. What elements are the same? How are they different? Children might also rewrite the story starring themselves as the main character. How would they have behaved differently? Another extension might be to place Princess Isabella in a modern day setting. How would the story change?

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Princess book" with a message I can get behind!, August 13, 2011

By 

EAlves (New England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Princess Pigsty (Hardcover)

Our almost 4 year old daughter has become obsessed with princesses over the course of the past year; unfortunately, everywhere we go, we are inundated with the soul-sucking Disney princesses. Needless to say, she wants every Disney princess book she sees, but I just cannot bring myself to spend money on products based on princesses who teach girls to aspire to be made-up, manicured, skinny zombies with no real personalities.
Thankfully, Cornelia Funke has written this book as well as The Princess Knight. They both teach kids that princesses can be cool, independent girls who refuse to live their lives on anyone else's terms but their own.
Funke's princesses are wonderful antidotes to the cloying, awful Disney princesses, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny Children's Book, March 9, 2010

By 

ReadtomeGrandma (Smock, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Princess Pigsty (Hardcover)

Funny story about a little princess who stands her ground to be herself.
My granddaughter loved it!