The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas
by Tony Wilson
illustrated by Sue deGennaro
Picture book
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Prince Henrik wants to fall and love and get married, but he’s not really sure how to choose the perfect princess. When he asks his brother for help, he tells him how he picked out his own perfect princess – with the pea hidden under the multiple mattresses method. Princess Eva, his brother’s wife, may be a real princess, but she complains about everything. And Henrik decides that he’d rather not have a princess at all if that’s how they behave. He devises his own test for his female suitors and discovers that the best choice for him is someone who shares some of his interests and knows what to do with a bag of frozen peas. Perfect! This amusing reworking of the classic fairytale, The Princess and the Pea, features a prince who is far more practical and wise than his classical counterpart, though, maybe he shouldn’t be so focused on love and marriage. Funny for kids and adults. Mixed-media illustrations – the little palace maids are all alike, and the hordes of screaming girls (the ones after Prince Henrik) are all paper dolls with “moveable” graph paper arms and legs (creepy!); Princess Eva has the same dissatisfied expression on her face throughout. Excerpt: Prince Henrik decided to watch Princess Eva to see what a real princess was like. HE found her at the tennis court, where she was being sensitive about the tennis balls. He followed her to the driveway and saw her being sensitive about her new sports car. Prince Henrik wondered whether perhaps Princess Eva was a little too sensitive.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
