The Princess and the Pizza [Paperback]

Mary Jane Auch (Author, Illustrator), Herm Auch (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

An out of work princess must prepare a feast fit for a prince.

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 the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

In high school Herm Auch painted sets for school plays, drawings for the yearbook, and was commissioned to do a landscape painting for one of his father’s friends. While still in high school, Herm worked as an engraving apprentice for an offset printing company.

When it was time to go to college, Herm followed his teacher’s prophecy by enrolling as an illustration major at Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In the summers between his college years, he worked for an art agency where one of his assignments was illustrating a book. In his senior year at RIT, Herm started working at the Gannett Rochester Newspapers.

In 1966, he met MJ Springer, who soon became his wife. For a number of years, Herm had a weekly editorial cartoon called Herm Auch’s Rochester. In 1975 Herm and columnist Dick Dougherty were assigned to ride across the country on bicycles, writing and illustrating the Bike Centennial series. In their three month odyssey, the two newsmen found fascinating stories of real people from coast to coast. Herm served as the photographer and illustrator for the project.

Herm made his first venture into children's books by illustrating I Was A Third Grade Science Project, written by Mary Jane. After forty years as a newspaper graphic artist, Herm retired in 2000 to pursue a new career as a children’s book illustrator.

Mary Jane Auch and her husband Herm Auch are a husband and wife team of illustrators whose first picture book collaboration was The Princess and the Pizza. Mary Jane Auch is also known for her historical and humorous fiction for children and her hilarious poultry parody picture books. The Auchs live on a small farm near Rochester, New York. Visit www.mjauch.com to learn more.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823417980
• ISBN-13: 978-0823417988
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Royalty
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Obsessions > Princesses
  • #71 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Royalty

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HILARIOUS TAKE ON TRADITIONAL FAIRY TALES, March 27, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Princess and the Pizza (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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read-Aloud, March 19, 2003

By 

bookwmn "bookwmn" (Bushnell, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Princess and the Pizza (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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever Fractured Fairy Tale, February 17, 2005

By 

Nance "smile giver" (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Princess and the Pizza (Hardcover)

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.