| Product: |
The Frog Prince, Continued - Jon Scieszka |
| Date: |
09/11/07 (74 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: good story based around an old classic
Disadvantages: dark and evil pictures
The Frog Prince continued by Jon Scieszka and paintings by Steve Johnson
Another book borrowed from the library and I feel that they will soon have no books left for Jack and I to read, as we have got through so many! This one grabbed my attention mainly because it was one I have never heard of but obviously a sequel to the very popular and well know Frog Prince.
On first inspection of this book, once I had got it home, it did appear somewhat dark and sinister. The front cover and all the pictures inside are done in a very evil and creepy way. I hoped Jack didn’t get nightmares, as it wasn’t really the usual book I would choose for him. Every single picture is mainly brown or dark green and the drawings of the people in the story are very scary looking as they all have pointed features with bony hands. I was having my doubts as to if this book is one I should really be reading to a five month old.
Any way I gave it a go and even though Jack stared intently at every picture he didn’t seem as vocal as he usually is when we sit down and I read to him. Maybe the pictures did scare him a bit. The story itself however was not too dark or scary although not your run of the mill fluffy bunny kind of fairy tale.
The story starts where the Frog Prince left off and that was with the frog turning into a prince and with the prince and the princess living happily ever after. But of course in this book they aren’t living happily ever after, well maybe for a short while but the misery was certainly setting in. The princess was fed up of all the Frog Princes bad habits and was forever telling him to “stop sticking your tongue out like that” and the prince just wanted them both to go and hang out down by the pond but the princess wasn’t having any of it! They were both unhappy and didn’t know what to do.
After a terrible row in which the princess says to the Frog Prince … “I can’t believe I actually kissed your slimy frog lip, sometimes I think we would both be better of if you were still a frog!” At last the prince gets and idea as to how to solve both of their misery. He heads of in the direction of the woods in search of a witch. Any witch will do just so long as they can turn him back into the frog that he was before the princess kissed him.
As soon as he gets into the woods he finds himself his first real witch and tries to explain that he is the frog prince and he wants to be changed back into a frog. This witch however cannot grasp the fact that he was a frog or the fact that he doesn’t want to kiss sleeping beauty thus waking her up. She sees the frog prince as a threat to waking up sleeping beauty so tries to cast a nasty spell on the prince but luckily enough the prince scarpers just in time.
Further on into the wood the prince comes across a small house and sees another lady who might be able to help him with his cause. After explaining for the second time about him being the frog prince and how he wants a witch to change him back to the frog he once was and the fact he does not want to kiss the sleeping beauty. He then has to explain that he is certainly not a frog now but that he wants to be changed back into one! These witches seem to all be daft as brushes! But this second witch is only interested in the fact that he is a prince and that he might be after rescuing Snow White. She produces a half eaten poisoned apple and tries to get the frog prince to eat it. The frog prince however isn’t stupid and realises at once what this particular witch is trying to pull off. So once again the frog prince scarpers.
Again a little more into the woods the frog prince stumbles upon another lady who maybe able to help him. For the third time he explains his predicament and asks this witch for her help. After some confusion about him being the king of France – I expect the frog thing confused her – the old witch invites the frog prince into her house and says that maybe she can fit him in for lunch. On entering the house however the frog prince felt that this house was somewhat familiar and after tasting a piece of the windowsill found himself realising that this particular witch was the one in the Hansel and Gretal fairytale. The Frog Prince knows a thing or two about fairy tales so found himself hot footing it straight out of that house.
After running and running deeper and deeper into the wood the frog prince finds himself lost and alone. A few minutes pass and he notices a figure ahead. He was fed up to the back teeth with witches and couldn’t believe his luck when he sees the Fairy Godmother. After explaining his story to yet another person the Fairy Godmother tells him that she hasn’t really done anything like turning someone into a frog before but she will certainly give it a go, if that is really what he wants. Seconds later and the Frog Prince is turned into a carriage! By now the frog prince was totally fed up but couldn’t do anything stuck as a carriage. Luckily for him it soon turned midnight and the Fairy Godmothers spell wore off and back he was turned into a prince.
After regaining his composure he ran home as fast as he could to his lovely princess who had been worried sick about where he had gotten to. He gave the princess one almighty kiss on the lips because he was so thankful to be back in her arms. After the kiss the both turned into frogs and hopped off happily ever after.
The end.
Wow what a story full of dark evil witches and the need for the Frog Prince to be turned into his slimy former self. I enjoyed it a fair bit but of course Jack is really only interested in the pictures at the moment and the sound of my voice. As I said before the pictures were far too dark and scary for this sort of book and I think had the pictures looked different this book would be a brilliant story for him. The story itself is really good and not one I have heard of before. I really don’t think that the pictures needed to be that dark and sinister to make the book portray the story but I guess it would work well for older children more so.
All in all I think this book is worthy of 4*s. The story line is great because it is a continuation from a classic fairytale and I suppose it does have some hidden meaning such as the grass isn’t always greener or maybe that changing is hard alone but with a loved one much easier – something like that. I think with better pictures or different pictures this book would of suited Jack much better but then it may have changed the whole feel of the book and what the author was trying to say.
But 4*s none the less.
Summary: a good story but differnt pictuers would make it better
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