Customer Reviews

The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The once popular type of princess-- the sort with guileless blue eyes and more beauty than brains-- has gone quite out of fashion. Princesses in more recent books are, more often than not, antidotes to the earlier stereotype, to the point where the plain, smart, and plucky princess has become a new stereotype. I hesitated at picking up Margaret Gray's version of the unusual princess because I had already made my acquaintance with Gail Carson Levin's Ella, and Patricia Wrede's Cimorene, and Vivian Vande Velde's Princess Jennifer, and half a dozen other such atypical princesses.

But The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool is filled with such good humor and wit that I was caught from the first sentence and didn't put the book-- chest protector, rather-- down until I had finished it. The familiar elements of fairy tales are all there. But Princess Rose has a snub nose and buck teeth and isn't by any stretch of the imagination beautiful. The court jester, Jasper, is a former wise man on the run after the king outlawed wisdom in the kingdom of Couscous. The fairy godmother is answerable to the Godmother Board of Trustees. And the glass slippers, as might be expected, are your podiatrist's worst nightmare...

The fantasy world Margaret Gray creates is delightfully tongue in cheek. There are kingdoms called Couscous and princesses named Asphalt and Concrete-- after all, there's no point in giving the older princesses decent names if only the youngest one is going to succeed. You can obtain degrees in wisdom from the Wise Man's Academy after learning to instantly assume the Air of Wisdom (one hand stroking beard, one eye wide open, the other tightly shut, and one leg bent) upon the sound of a whistle. And if you happen to be in a hurry, you have the option of going on an Express Quest (offered only in extreme circumstances), as opposed to a regular Quest.

Margaret Gray's writing is sprightly and energetic and often laugh out loud funny, and the wacky illustrations by Randy Cecil add to the fun. It's like M. M. Kaye's The Ordinary Princess meets Vivian Vande Velde's witty and rather modern treatments of Rumpelstiltskin, but without the slightly sugary quality of the first or the sharp sarcasm of the latter. Fairy tale fans who loved Kindl's Goose Chase and Ferris's Once Upon a Marigold should find The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool to be similarly enjoyable. It isn't profound or groundbreaking, but it is a thoroughly entertaining concoction of wisdom and nonsense in exactly the right proportions.

Ailanna

I put off reading this book for a few days in order to read other titles that appeared more appealing. I was wrong. Within the first few pages, I found myself laughing and hating to put the book down to finish my work. I couldn't wait to have the chance to sit down and finish it. Yes, it is a twisted fairy tale with the cliche of an ugly princess, but there the comparisons end. Gray has managed to write her material fresh, silly, and downright funny. Rose is a third princess with buck teeth and awful hair. Her older sisters, Concrete and Asphalt, have to wait for hours each day while their hair is groomed and maintained to perfection. They don't mind since their younger sister's ugliness has not required them to fly off and become wicked, bitter ugly witches! Rose's adventures and lessons learned about wishes and beauty are obvious, but still entertaining, so readers won't mind getting a message with their fun. This would be a cute book for a classroom read aloud or for any girl looking for a new fairy tale chapter book.

Also recommended are: The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye and the fairy tale books of Gail Carson Levine

I love all original fairy tales, and this one is great! It is cute, with a spunky heroine, who is not perfect in either body or personality, but is for the most part a good person. It also has some traditional fairy tale themes such as a fairy godmother and a handsome prince. All in all this is a good book to read for any girl who thinks she sould be more beautiful.

The third princess is always the most beautiful, with two lovely, but mean sisters, and must over come many obsiticals to marry prince charming and find true love. But what happens when the third princess is not beautiful, or even atractive. Princess Rose faces this delema, although she didn't even think of it as so before the amazing Prince Parseley comes looking for a beautiful wife. With out thinking of the consecuances Rose wishes to be the most beautiful princess ever, and she gets her wish. Is this Rose's destiny to marry prince Parseley, or to stay the nice, but plain Rose.

This deliciously wry fairy tale is a tasty treat for readers from 6 to 106. This is no "leathery pastry with a fibrous middle," no mere chest protector for snoozing fools, but a first-class rip-roaring read, bursting with insight and good humor. As unpretentious as a buck-toothed, skinned-knee, ugly third princess, but likely to rise slyly into poetry at any moment. Where day is "pale and unconvincing night," and lightning-bolt pompadours lick the ceiling, and clam-digging godmothers know what's best. Only a foolish fool indeed would miss this one!

Usually princesses are beautiful....but not in this fairytale!!Instead, Rose has buckteeth, and short, stringy hair-hardly what you would expect a princess to look like.You won't be able to put down this book-or rather chestprotecter-Rose is much smarter than your usual beautiful fairytale princess.But when Prince Parsley visits Couscous to find a bride, everything changes and Eleanor(Rose's fairygodmother)turns Rose into the most beautiful princess ever!Choose between a Test and a Quest to turn Rose back to normal.You'll meet characters like Jasper, a Wiseman pretending to be a Fool, just to save Couscous from ignorance!In the story you'll meet characters beyond your imagination!You'll love this book more than any other book you've read in your life!

This is a delightful book! As a parent and a special education teacher, I recommend this to anyone who appreciates fairy tales but also likes to keep them in balance with reality. In the classroom, I plan to use this book with 4th and 5th grade students who will enjoy and learn from the adventures and self discovery of Princess Rose.

This wonderful book is an extremely clever and delightfully witty reinvention of a classic fairy tale. Younger readers will love the whimsical and exciting tale of Pricess Rose and her hilarious adventures; older readers will also appreciate the perceptiveness and insight that informs the underlying moral of this story. I think this has the makings of a modern classic! I loved this book!

I just finished reading this to my 7-year-old, and was horribly frustrated each night that he would doze off or simply state that he had to sleep, and I had to stop reading. (I did cheat and read one chapter ahead once, and giggled and teased him that I knew what was going to happen.)

What can you say about a book in which a wise man has to masquerade as a fool to make a living, skilfully hiding the fact that he is anything other than a complete idiot... a third princess (who is supposed to be more beautiful than her gorgeous elder sisters, who are then expected to become witches and fly off on broomsticks, and were thus named Asphalt and Concrete to inure them to their fate) is actually born stunningly ugly...

This book is a solidly entertaining read, contains much gentle but pointed absurdity, and I am buying a copy of her other book as soon as I finish this review. You _must_ read this, if for no reason other than to learn what a "chest protector" is. Enjoy!

This book is a rare find -- a fairy tale as appealing to adults as it is to kids. Lessons about the superficiality of beauty are couched in a hilarious story that never talks down and always works on multiple levels. This book doesn't deny the appeal of beauty; but it does ask the question, Are the rewards brought by beauty really the rewards that lead to happiness? A spectacular book, suitable for much more than the recommended ages. I look forward to reading more by this talented author, who might well be the tartest children's writer since Roald Dahl.

This is a wonderful book for princesses of all ages. I enjoyed reading every word and only wish I had a ten-year-old to read it to.