Product Description

The Brothers Grimm as retold by Kathy-Jo Wargin and illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert.

This Brothers Grimm tale of a spoiled princess finding her handsome prince by breaking a witch's spell has enchanted readers since it was written in the early 1800s. Children will delight in the princess' distaste as she shares her meal and bed with the slimy, green frog. With richly elegant illustrations, Anne Yvonne Gilbert brings Kathy-Jo Wargin's retelling of the classic to a new generation of readers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #337534 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 30 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781587262791
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Booklist
Intricate, gloriously lush illustrations highlight this retelling of the familiar tale. Wargin has preserved much of the tone of the original text while editing the length to make it more palatable for younger audiences. Gilbert perfectly captures the princess' conflicting emotions as she struggles with her revulsion for the frog even as she acknowledges that she must fulfill her end of the bargain. Visual elements emphasize particular story details. The text is printed in a lovely deep green, matching the frog theme, for instance. The brevity of the text makes for some abrupt transitions. Readers may wonder at the sudden appearance of the prince's servant, Faithful Henry, for example. And there will certainly be questions about why the witchy princess, who throws the frog at a wall, deserves him when he is revealed as a prince, but this does conform to the original Grimm brothers story. Carton, Debbie

Review
Foreword Magazine, 2007 "Princess, dear princess please open the door, for you made a promise you must not ignore!" After retrieving a ball from a well for the princess, the frog calls out to her, for she has ignored the promise she made to him. He persistently, much to the distain of the princess, persuades her to allow him to eat from her plate, enter her room and sleep in her bed. At each poetic request from the frog, the princess becomes increasingly uncomfortable, but her father, the king, admonishes her and orders her to keep her promise to the frog that befriended her. Finally, in desperation, the princess flings the old water-splasher angrily against the wall. In true keeping with fairytales, the spell cast upon him by a wicked witch is broken, and the frog is transformed into a handsome prince.

Kathy-Jo Wargin has woven her literary magic in a retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale. It is a treasure to be collected by princesses and princes everywhere. The book speaks its own language of love; the gentle, firm guidance of a father, promises kept, (difficult as they may be), and the belief that persistence pays off. Wargin is the author of The Legend of Sleeping Bear, Win One for the Gipper, and The Legend of the Loon, which won the International Reading Association Children's Choice Award. As evident by her books, she enjoys writing about nature and its impact on people's lives.

Internationally acclaimed artist and illustrator, Anne Yvonne Gilbert, lives in England and has exhibited in galleries throughout the world. Billy Joel's lullaby, Goodnight, My Angel, is among her illustrated works. Her watercolor paintings of vibrant jewel tones, exquisite attention to detail, and the flowing gowns, tendrils and crowns in Frog Prince transport the reader to days gone by.

Frog Prince will be certain to entertain and delight young and old as they read a story about doing the right thing and learning that when they do, good things will happen. This version is destined to join one's fairytale collection. Princesses and princes from about three to six years of age will enjoy having Frog Prince read to them, and those from six to twelve will enjoy reading it themselves. Promises are intended to be kept, even by princesses! -- Foreword Magazine 2007

From the Publisher
This classic tale comes to life with the vivid and richly detailed illustrations of Anne Yvonne Gilbert and the words of master storyteller Kathy-Jo Wargin. The combination of Gilbert's whimsical, yet sophisticated, illustrations with Wargin's personal twists on the well-know Grim tale make this edition of The Frog Prince fully satisfying. Both young readers and adults will be enchanted by the graceful visual experience of illustrations, and Wargin's storytelling is the stuff of Legend -- she has several best sellers to prove it. The Frog Prince is rendered in true fairy tail fashion and presented in a package sorely needed to honor one of the most popular stories of all time.

Customer Reviews

High hopes dashed by odd turn in story.
I really looked forward to receiving this book, as I had been looking for a beautifully illustrated version of the Frog Prince for a while. This one really seemed to fit the bill until a very unfortunate turn in the story. I'm the first to admit that I don't know if this is the original telling. However, I do not remember the frog turning into a prince after the princess "smashes" him into the wall. I was reading the story happily--princess loves ball, plays with ball, ball falls into well, frog offers to help, princess promises to love frog forever and let him live with her, frog retrieves ball, princess breaks her word, king makes princess keep her word, princess begrudgingly lets frog sleep in her bed, princess throws frog "against the wall with a mighty SMASH"--errr, I'm sorry, what was that last part?

"The princess became furious over having to share her room and her bed, and could not take it any longer. In a burst of anger she reached down and grabbed the frog firmly in her fist and hollered, 'Now you will be quiet you horrible frog!' and threw him against the wall with a mighty SMASH. But when he fell he was no longer a frog but a handsome young prince with kind and beautiful eyes."

(next page spread) "The king was happy as the two were wedded for life."

Well, I know that there are often uncomfortable parts in the old fairy tales (grandmothers and little piggies getting eaten by wolves, poisoned apples, etc.). However, I don't remember this little fit and I'm not comfortable with a book that has someone being rewarded for poor and violent behavior. Usually the morals of fairy tales are the opposite, with goodness and decency winning out in the end. In my old version of this tale, the princess found that the frog grew on her in the process of her keeping her promise and it was a kiss that turned him into a prince, not a violent outburst spawned by a temper tantrum.

I just wanted to caution other parents of this content. If this is the original and what you're looking for, have at it. The illustrations are quite lovely. I'm kind of tempted to take some white out and a Sharpie to it to change that page to my liking. Ha Ha

Lavishly illustrated with detailed, museum-quality art
The Frog Prince is a lush retelling of the classic fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, about the princess and her fateful meeting with a frog who is really an enchanted prince. Lavishly illustrated with detailed, museum-quality art, The Frog Prince spins its story in sufficient detail as to be appropriate for young readers who are almost ready to transition from picture books to chapter books. Highly recommended. "As the carriage rolled away, the prince heard a loud cracking noise. He yelled to Faithful Henry that he was afraid something might be breaking. But Faithful Henry answered that it was simply the bands around his heart snapping free, now that the spell was broken and his master was free at last."

excellent seller!
Item was exactly as described; arrived quickly.
Very prompt service. An excellent seller!