A Frog Prince

Taking the original Brothers Grimm fairy-tale as her inspiration, Alix Berenzy reimagines The Frog Prince as a heroic quest, in which the frog - spurned by the beautiful but spoiled princess whom he has loved from afar - sets out to find a lady more worthy of his devotion. Rescuing doves and turtles in the course of his journey, and being aided in return, the frog eventually finds himself in a far kingdom, where he encounters the princess of his dreams...

I enjoyed this tale of a kind-hearted and resourceful hero determined to find someone who values his finer qualities, and appreciated the fact that the frog, though hurt by the first princess' scornful rejection, never sees himself as ugly or worthless. Berenzy's artwork, with its rich show more color, and mysterious play of dark and light, is quite beautiful. All in all, a lovely little picture-book, perfect for fans of fractured fairy-tales! show less

I found the very pretty paintings to be overwhelming for the relatively simple & brief story. Nice theme in the 'twist' and the dove and the turtle added the classic tropes of rewards for compassion... but the book as a whole just doesn't work imo.

I loved this version of the Frog Prince. Not only is the book absolutely gorgeous, but the twist on the classic tale produces an ending that rewards the worthy.

In the classic tale a spoiled princess drops a ball down a well and asks the frog to retrieve it in exchange for her friendship. She then tries to avoid her promise and is ultimately forced by her father to keep her promise. After much ill treatment, the frog eventually turns into a prince and they are married.

This version of story has the frog leaving the spoiled princess in search of a princess "who can see the good in me." After many adventures where the frog shows his kindness and bravery, he finds the beautiful princess of his dreams.

I appreciate the classic fairy tale show more elements of good deeds bringing unasked for rewards/favors/help. show less

Alternate ending to the Frog Prince fairy tale. Princess tosses frog to corner of room, he does not transform into a human. Princess is a spoiled brat, her own father acknowledges this and equips the frog to find a princess deserving of his love. He finds his princess sleeping in a quiet castle (a la Sleeping Beauty, frog style), she awakens, they marry and live happily ever after. Illustrations are rich with color, dark shadows. No mention of Iron Henry.

Summary:
This is a story about a frog that admires a princess and helps her one day retrieve a her golden ball from the bottom of the pond. She promises to have the frog over for a meal and to sleep over in her castle but when the time comes to uphold her side of the deal she acts spoiled and ungrateful and slams the door in the frogs face. Her father the kind orders her to keep her promises and in turn she does but further mistreats and puts down the frog, breaking his heart. The frog leaves the kingdom in search of his true princess. On his journey he continues to selflessly help others in need who in turn in help him. In the end he finds his true love, a frog princess, who loves him back and thinks he is amazing and they live happily show more ever after.

Personal reaction to the book:
I liked this book, and the lesson behind it. It is important to be who you are not change because of what others may think. The illustrations are bright and interesting also. Overall a good book.

Extensions:
1. I would use this book to teach children about being yourself and not changing because of what other think.
2. I would use this book to show my students how words and being mean can hurt someone's feelings. So I would encourage them to treat others how they want to be treated.

3. show less

A Frog Prince is about a frog who greatly admires a neighboring princess. He soon finds out that she is selfish and spoiled and doesn't appreciate him at all. In a dream, he is told that he will find his own princess after a long journey. He begins this journey and makes many friends along the way. He finally reaches a castle with a frog princess and they fell in love, got married and lived happily ever after.

This story demonstrates to me that there is someone for everyone. Just because certain people don't like you, there is someone who will like you exactly for who you are.

For a classroom extension, I would introduce different species of frogs to the children. We would learn about their habitats and diets. I would also help the show more children write their own short story about a frog. show less

One day a frog, who fell in love with a princess, helped her retrieve a ball that fell into a lake. In exchange she provided a meal in the castle, and a room to stay. After the princess took back her promise for a meal and room t, her father told her she should honor her promises. The next day the frog decided to search for a princess who could see he was good. Before he left on his journey, the king gave him a horse and new clothes. On his journey he helped free a bird and a turtle, which helped him in return. When he arrived at another castle he met a princess; whom he married.