An out of work princess must prepare a feast fit for a prince.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The latest of Mary Jane Auch's (Bantam of the Opera) fairy-tale parodies finds Paulina the Princess competing against her peers for the hand of Prince Drupert, the sorry-looking son of overbearing Queen Zelda. Paulina knows the old pea-in-the-mattress trick ("That's so once-upon-a-time," she scoffs to herself) and is unintimidated by the other two finalists, a princess with a very long braid and another princess accompanied by seven little men. But the kitchen assignment comes close to defeating her until, in despair, she whips up a mess of tomatoes, cheese and garlic on some bread dough, wowing Queen Zelda. In a gratifying final twist, Paulina rejects the prince and opens her own successful business a pizza parlor, of course. Readers will delight in the sly references to other fairy tales and in the goofy visuals (e.g., with a sardonic grin, a Rapunzel-like princess uses her very long braid to trip Paulina). The illustrations, representing the wife-and-husband team's first picture-book collaboration, resemble those in Mary Jane Auch's previous works they are just as witty yet considerably more detailed. This sassy send-up seems likely to deliver a royal case of the giggles. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-When Princess Paulina's father surrenders his kingship, the enterprising young lady sets off for a neighboring castle to marry Prince Drupert. Vying with other princesses, she sails through the traditional pea test, stays in the running after the glass-slipper fitting, but faces real difficulty in the third trial. Competing against two other princesses, Paulina finds herself left with some flour, yeast, water, tomatoes, cheese, and the threat of a beheading if she can't concoct a tempting feast. In haste and trepidation, she tosses the fruits of her culinary labor onto the hearth and-voil…-wins the everlasting admiration of the prince and the overbearing queen. Paulina, however, has other plans; she spurns marriage and opens the highly successful Pizza Palace. But the happy-ever-after ending has a hitch; Drupert's mother is a pizzeria regular and is last seen sharing a slice with Paulina's father. This fractured fairy tale has a thoroughly modern sensibility, from the retired monarch pursuing a second career in the arts to the feisty heroine who runs her own business. The story moves briskly along with plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to traditional tales, and the exaggerated features in the illustrations are reflected in the hyperbole of the text. In a clever bit of foreshadowing, Paulina's oft-repeated "for Pete's sake" becomes the etymological basis for the word pizza. One bothersome note: Paulina's diamond pendant disappears from the illustrations with distracting regularity. A silly take on kids' favorite takeout.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A hilarious take on traditional fairy tales, "The Princess and the Pizza" is a very contemporary version of the eternal triangle - prince/princess/mean stepmother.
Princess Paulina was down on her luck. Her Dad had relinquished his throne to become a wood-carver, a task he had yet to master, and she missed princessing. Why, hardly anyone watched her do the royal wave.
So, when she found out that Prince Drupert needed a bride she was among the first in line. Regrettably she was in competition with twelve other wanna-be brides, and the Queen was extremely demanding. Nonetheless, Paulina didn't tumble for the old princess and the pea trick; she passed the essay and glass slipper tests with flying royal colors. But then, the greatest challenge of all, the remaining princesses-to-be must prepare a feast and the [others] would be beheaded!
Here's where ingenuity and a little luck come in handy. Paulina's pizza takes the prize, but is Prince Drupert such a prize after all?
The Auchs have created an original, laugh provoking tale with lots of twists before a satisfying ending.
- Gail Cooke
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By bookwmn
Format:Hardcover
This book is an absolute hoot to read aloud to students or to your own child. My students range from average to gifted, third through fifth grade, and EVERYONE of them loves this book. The characters are very easy to "voice". Students also love to read this book to themselves. The illustrations just add all that much more fun. I'm buying two copies, since the library wants it back!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Nance
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought The Princess and the Pizza because the reviews recommended it for ages 4 to 8. I think t is too mature for most younger readers and would be best enjoyed by 3rd through 6th graders. As an adult, I enjoyed the story, but didn't like the ending. Also, Mary Jane is a clever writer, but I did not enjoy the illustrations of Herm Auch.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
love it
This is my daughters favorite book and she gave it as a baby shower gift to a mom to be of a baby girl. Very empowering book for little girls.
Published 10 days ago by mary pat endres
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun New Fairy Tale
Princess Paulina has had her life turned upside down thanks to her father giving up his throne to be a wood carver. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mark Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
The humor was good for adults and children. My Kindergarten class loved the book. It was also helpful in reviewing some of the fairy tales we learned previously.
Published 19 months ago by kteacher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful take on a classic princess tale!
The Princess and the Pizza is a modern take on a classic princess fairy tale - but in this one, the Princess isn't a demure, helpless and flighty female. Read more
Published on January 10, 2011 by indiestar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original and Entertaining!
What a fantastic book! It is original, clever, and funny. I like the plot, because although Princess Paulina misses parts of her life as a princess, she isn't bitter about no... Read more
Published on July 6, 2008 by Military Brat
4.0 out of 5 stars
not yet ready
This book was too advanced for the just-turned-3-yr-old niece who I bought it for. However, the grandmother and aunt who read it to the child were very entertained by the story and... Read more
Published on February 15, 2007 by L. Morgan
4.0 out of 5 stars
How "petes ah" became the name for pizza way back when.
This was a fun book. It had me chuckling from time to time. It actually could be used as a rough draft for a humorous speech project at Toastmasters. Read more
Published on February 3, 2007 by Marci Twain
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun fractured fairy tale
I bought this book for my 5 1/2 year old daughter and she really likes it. The story is very readable and fun. Read more
Published on December 20, 2005 by T. Bateman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the story!
Love the modern day tale of the Princess and the Pizza. Cute!
Published on September 13, 2005 by Kimberly Webb
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clever Princess Wins the Day
The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane Auch is a delightful tale of a clever princess who uses her wits to solve her problems on her own without the help of fairy godmothers or... Read more
Published on August 1, 2005 by G. D. Wall
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