A Frog Prince

by Alix Berenzy (Adapted by), Jacob Grimm

"A quirky, imaginative look at events from the frog's point of view. . . . A wonderful book--wry, touching, funny, and completely satisfying".--School Library Journal, starred review. Full color. IRA/CBC Teachers' Choice; winner of the Bologna Book Fair "Critici in Erba" Prize; School Library Journal Best Book.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1812

About the author

Alix Berenzy is an American children's book author and illustrator. Born in New York in 1957, she was raised in suburban New Jersey, and was educated at Columbus College of Art and Design (1974–76) and Philadelphia College of Art (1979–81). She worked as an art director in the advertising field in the 1970s, before launching a career as a freelance illustrator in 1982. She has written and illustrated three books of her own, and has illustrated a number of books by other authors.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated retelling of the tale of the same name from the standpoint of the frog, who is a common frog and not a prince, and with a twist that goes contrary to the usual ending yet is still very good and satisfying.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely retelling with lavish illustrations and a nifty spin on the traditional tale. This one is told from the POV of the frog. I cheered that he did not change to suit the princess he *thought* he loved, but rather sought to find someone to love him "as is," able to appreciate all the qualities already in his heart. His daring adventures also prove the rewards that come from offering kindness without thought of reward! The surprise twist at the end is great.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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!

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Sabina Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to Alix Berenzy was in 1991 when I interviewed her in her apartment in a converted school building in Philadelphia after being captivated by a poster I saw of her Frog Prince book jacket. I wanted to know who the artist was and hear her story. It happened that Alix , an illustrator at Henry Holt & Company was urged to write her story about her pet frog Siegfried that she had as a child and —Voila! — her first book A Frog Prince was born!
My interview with Alix appeared in Book Links a magazine distributed to all the classrooms in the country and published by the American Library Association. Later I produced a Meet the Author show with Alix that was filmed by Comcast TV. On display was the original artwork from the book cover. Actually this is my very favorite children’s book — just for the words and her magical illustrations. There is so much feeling and casual hidden truths - as when the Frog Prince confesses to his Frog Princess that he is not a real Prince and she replies , “ Is not what we do / proof of who we are” — I love this book and gave so many copies away—

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book resembles the adventure in stories such as Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, The Golden Mare, The Firebird, and the Magic Ring, The Water Of Life: A Tale From The Brothers Grimm, The Enchanted Wood to name a few that I can recollect. I see the idea that the author was trying to portray but I feel that it was poorly executed.
At first, I though how ridiculous that a princess should love a frog by his personality as if a prince would love a princesses because of hers. But then the story took another turn and the frog found his beloved. Moral of the story- Every species to their own.
The drawings are very nice, I'll give it that.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, unique take on the familiar story.

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is lovely. The witch terrifying. A beautiful retelling of the frog prince.

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did a folktales/fairytales unit with my students in summer school. None of us really liked this one very much.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent fairy tale. A frog loves a princess, but she turns out to be quite cruel. The frog journeys to a new kingdom, showing kindness to others along the way. I loved the story and pictures.

[Fats · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of A Frog Prince was similar to the original version. A beautiful princess was playing in the Royal Gardens one day when she accidentally dropped her golden ball in the swamp. When the frog saw the princess crying, he swam closer to the edge of the swamp and asked her what was wrong.

“My lovely golden ball has fallen into the swamp!” she wailed. Then an idea came into her head. She squeezed even more tears out of her eyes and said, “If you get it for me, I shall let you be my friend. You will eat dinner with me at the castle, and sleep there too!”

The frog was thrilled, although he would gladly retrieve the golden ball for the princess without a reward. When the frog went to the castle, the princess was disgusted by his presence. She probably would not have come out of her room if it were not for the King reminding her to honor her promise to the frog. The night ended with the princess flinging the frog into a dark corner of her room and telling him how ugly he was. The frog went to sleep heartbroken but was comforted by the words of the Moon in his dream.

Little green Frog alone at night,
Beauty is in the beholder’s sight.
Follow the Sun, then follow me,
To lands beyond, across the sea.
In another kingdom you shall find.
A true princess, of a different mind.

The rest of the book narrates the Frog’s journey to find the princess who would love him for who he is. Along the way, he encountered creatures in distress and stopped to help them. In return for the kindness that the Frog Prince has shown them, they decided to help him reach his destination.

Alix Berenzy creates a beautiful spin to the classic tale, making it more meaningful and socially relevant. His gorgeous illustrations make A Frog Prince traditional and provocatively modern at the same time. It’s a fairy tale retelling that deserves a spot in your bookshelf.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this retelling of the Princess and the Frog story. Although, like in the classic version of this story, the frog retrieves the golden ball for the princess, things do not instantly continue happily ever after. Instead the frog is rejected by the princess. I do like the transition from the classic telling of the tale to the new telling of the tale. I particularly liked following the frog, who as he himself claimed was not a princes but “a frog wearing fancy clothes”, on his adventure to find the princess who would see good in him. The frog’s quest is noble, and required much bravery as he faced such terrifying creatures as witches and trolls. Also he helped save a dove and a little turtle from said terrifying creatures. The illustration for this adventure were beautiful and sometimes a big scary when danger appeared, overall a nice complement to the story given by the text. At the end I find the pictures to be very important, especial at the moment when the princess the frog has been struggling to find is finally revealed.

[Xiaoxiao Zhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read Chinese edition of <> when I still was in China, but it's a little bit different form <>, it has the same beginning, but different development and different ending. And as I know, <> has been shooted into a animated film and received high reputation, and also this book has been praised as classic.

Actually, I can understand the little princess, each girl wants a handsome prince who can accompany her and give her happiness in her futrue life and no one wants a such ugly frog. If you ask me whether I am willing to marry the frog, I will also say "NO" and will be more sad than the little princess.

So the frog prince should seek for his own felicity with his efforts. Though the process was very hard and difficult, the frog prince finally found his own frog princess with his bravery, strength and wisdom. So the conclusion I drew from this story is you will get what you want if you put efforts in it.

[Tara Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fairytale book is extremely non-traditional and extremely enjoyable. The book is in portrait landscape and has white borders throughout. The typeface is black and very plain on a white background, making it easy to read. The illustrations seem to be done in a variety of mediums including pencils and paint. They are very realistic, and use the technique of cross hatching, which creates an interesting texture. The colors are very representative of royalty, as they are mainly greens, golds, and reds. I really liked the book because the storyline gave me something I did not expect, as sometimes children's books can be quite predictable.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this early in my teaching career. I suspect it looked traditional, therefore I made the purchase. The tale, however, is not traditional. Instead of remaining at the castle, the frog prince sets out into the world. He does good. It is happily-ever-after ending, but not the with the princess who lost her ball.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Frog Prince, but with a twist. It begins identically to the classic story, but rather than kissing the frog in order to transform him into a human prince, the human princess rejects him utterly. The frog goes on a quest, successfully finding his one true "happily ever after" princess....another frog.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a frog on a search to find his true princess. This is a book about caring and compassion. It will help students understand that beauty is within and your actions make you attractive.

[Daniel Cota · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for young boys to read. It shows how a male frog goes a long way to find a woman to marry and love. It shows courage about the frogs deeds and has amazing pictures in to back it up. It is also the perfect illustration of "there's more fish in the sea," and in this case frogs.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated fairy-tale twist on The Frog Prince, told from the point of view of the frog. A wonderful story to share with your kiddos and reminder to all that it is whats on the inside that makes a prince or princess.

[Heather]

Absolutley stunning illustrations!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration. Frog-friendly.

[Bree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Notes::
Not the traditional version.
Paintings are nice though.

[Jennykelley Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The witch was dreadful!" Brian "The book was terrifying." Andrea "The book was scary!" Quan

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT STORY!! LOVED IT.

[Brittany Basalla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet fairy tale about the frog prince that is a bit different than the commonly known tale.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures in this are amazing, and I love the twist of the story

[Kayla Clancy]

2.Preschool-3
3. A reinterpretation of the original book, this book brings breathtaking images and pictures to the reader that will make you feel the frogs point of view. The frog is on his journey to find his princess.
4. This book takes the side of the frog and not the princess and I think that that in its self is an imaginative and fun experience for children.
5. I would display this book in the classroom in the bins for the children to work with. I would also expose the children to this when discussing fairytales and imaginative writing.