Product Description

Rebuffed by the princess after retrieving her golden ball, a noble frog sets out to find a more suitable mate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #610056 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
"Once upon a time there lived a frog who loved a Princess." This is how Alix Berenzy begins her rendition of the Grimm fairy tale A Frog Prince, slightly tweaked and fully satisfying. When the princess drops her golden ball in the swamp by accident, the dog-sized frog is right there to help her out. She promises him she will let him live with her in the castle if he retrieves the ball. He follows through, but she does not, and in fact proves to be quite callous. After the moon sings him an inspirational song, the brave, resourceful, sensitive frog vows to go out into the world to find a princess who can appreciate his finer qualities. In true fairy-tale fashion, the frog faces three challenges on his journey: two terrible trolls, a green-faced witch, and even the End of the World. But the gentle frog meets each challenge with bravery and kindness toward smaller creatures, who aid him in unexpected ways.

He finally does chance upon the princess of his dreams, blushes a deep green, and rejoices when the lovely frog princess asks him to marry her! Berenzy's paintings are dark and mysterious, in deep jewel tones that fit the mood of her story. In contrast to the Grimm original, this story does not reward a selfish princess for gradually learning to tolerate the frog. This is the tale of a frog on a mission who knows he needs to find someone who is smart and sensitive enough to value him for his true self, warts and all. Young readers will love this story and its charming, beautiful illustrations. (Ages 5 to 9)

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4?The hero of this neoclassical fairy tale is a veritable prince of a frog--brave, honest, and true. Overcoming great obstacles and depths of despair, he is finally rewarded with his heart's desire. Vivid paintings are rich in detail and illuminated with jewel-like gleam in this sparkling effort.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Customer Reviews

A Real Charmer!
Everyone knows the story of the Frog Prince, and the idea of "kissing a frog to make a prince" is a well-loved verse around the world. But did you ever think that the spoilt Princess, who first broke her promise to the frog who rescued her ball and then threw him across the room in disgust before he changed into a prince was a little undeserving of her happily ever after? (Some versions of the story have the princess kissing the frog to change him back, but the throwing against the wall is the original and correct tale).

Alix Berenzy thought so, and resolved to retell and reillustrate the traditional tale from the frog's point of view. Sure enough, it starts on familiar territory: the Princess drops her golden ball into the pond and the frog retrieves it for her, on the condition that the Princess let him go with her into her palace and remain her companion. The ball is fetched, but the Princess regrets her decision to have the frog as a house guest, and only goes through with her promise on the instruction of her father.

But here is where the tale changes - hearing a riddle from the singing moon, the frog decides to go on a quest to find a *true* princess - one that will love him for his inner beauty. The king obliges, shamed by his daughter's ingratitude, and grants him royal clothes and a white pony. Following the sun by day and the moon by night, the frog begins his quest, traversing dangerous trolls, wicked witches, tangled woods and misty oceans to reach the End of the World and the Princess that awaits. Alix Berenzy creates a great twist in the tale by describing the beauty of the Princess in the castle, but making the reader turn the page to see her appearence on the following page - and that appearence is not what you'd expect!

The story is a lovely retelling of the traditional tale, undated somewhat for today's standards of teaching kids to look beyond a person's appearence to the soul within. This sentiment is the theme of the entire book, but with side plots of escapes and quests, Alix Berenzy thankfully does not jam it down our throats, and it is shared without overly dramatising it. The illustrations are of course stunning. As a children's illustrator Alix Berenzy is right up there with the masters: K. Y. Craft, Ruth Sanderson and Alan Lee - her paintings especially have a brightness and vividness to them that make them seem to leap out of the pages. She is a master at creating light - whether it be the light filtering through the woods, creating a path way of light, or the beautiful orange colours of the setting sun on the ocean as the frog prince crosses it on the back of a turtle. This is definitely a must have children's book, especially if you're a fan of the frog prince tale (try the Canon Movietale "The Frog Prince" starring Helen Hunt and Aileen Quinn) or moralistic stories of finding love below the surface (there are lots of similiarities here to the movie "Shrek" - even the colour green!) Highly recommended.

"Little green frog alone at night,
Beauty is in the beholder's sight.
Follow the sun, then follow me,
To lands beyond, across the sea.
In another kingdom you shall find,
A true princess, of a different mind."

Oh Mommy, Read it Again!
Is what our daughter exclaimed after we read her this book for the first time. The illustrations are Chris Van Allsburg (SP?) quality, the pace is just right for an attentive 3 to 4 year old. The frog keeps a steady moral high ground in both thought and deed while searching for the princess who is right for him. The end is quite a surprize, if only because of our preconceptions of the standard frog prince tale.