The Queen of Princess Books

The Princess and the Pea

by Lauren Child; illustrations by Polly Borland

Reviewed by Deb Clark

Thanks to the marketing juggernaut at Disney, my daughter – along with just about every other pre-school-age girl in the country – is a princess fanatic. I don’t mind her fervor for fairytale royalty, but the way the stories portray marriage as the means to Happily Ever After worries me.

My 4-year-old has already proposed to three of her friends – two boys and a girl – and announced that she’d like me to schedule the ceremony for her next birthday.

One night she insisted she needed a wedding dress RIGHT THAT INSTANT. And today she informed me that we had better pick out a prince for her 1-year-old sister, because she is obviously too young to do it herself.

So I approached Child’s “The Princess and the Pea” with understandable trepidation. But the book quickly swept us both off our feet. My daughter and I were captivated by the illustrations. Viewing them is like entering a doll’s world.

The castle’s paneled rooms – fashioned by Child out of cornflake boxes and picture board – are painted in sumptuous colors and decorated with miniature furniture, floor coverings, wall hangings, even tiny, working chandeliers.

Outdoor scenes use rocks, leaves and tree-like twigs against rich, expertly lighted backdrops.

Carefully placed in each scene are the hand-drawn characters, dressed in layers of fancifully patterned paper, and the whole thing is photographed by award-winning photog Polly Borland, whose use of light is truly magical.

Child’s writing gives the familiar story oomph, which, combined with the text’s varying font sizes and italics and the occasional elaborate dropcap, make for a fun read. Like in this excerpt, where the King and Queen tell the Prince how difficult it is to find a real princess:

“They do not grow on trees,” said the king.

“No, no, they do not,” said the queen.

“You see,” said the kind, “a real princess is not only mesmerizingly beautiful and fascinatingly interesting but, most important of all –“

“She has manners,” said the queen.

“No one should ever travel without them,” said the king.

“No, never, never go anywhere without your manners,” agreed the queen, taking her elbows off the table.

A colossal amount of effort went into this book.

Thank you Lauren Child and Polly Borland for taking the time to do it. It’s a rare treat to find a book I don’t mind reading for the third time in one sitting.

Now, if only the story ended with the princess postponing the wedding until she finishes college.

Rating: *\*\*\*\

Comments

[Fuse #8]

I agree. And it has my vote for the Caldecott this year. No chance, but still my vote.

[Anne]

I also loved that it's the Prince who pines for marriage. Nice turnaround for a change.

My own prince is a reluctant groom, to say the least. Your daughter must propose marriage at every playdate, but he only wants to swing. Typical guy.

[Deb Clark]

None of her matrimonial prospects seem too keen on the idea. She wasn't either after we told her she'd have to leave Mommy and Daddy once she got married. Then she decided we were wrong, and told us that a wedding is really just a good excuse to host a ball, which she feels we should do as soon as possible.

Why no chance for a Caldecott? Are the judges partial to traditional-type illustrations? They'd be missing out.

[Susan]

I think Lauren Child is ineligible for a Caldecott because she's British.