The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale

by Brenda Williams, Sophie Fatus (Illustrator), Tessa Strickland (Editor)

A classic with a twist, this number-crunching take on The Princess and the Pea features not just one princess, but three, not to mention four horses, five dogs, six grooms, seven gardeners, and all kinds of chances for young mathematicians to put their adding and subtracting to the test!

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, Princesses, Fairy Tales, School, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2014

Reviews

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got low expectations for books from DD1 (age 5)'s school library, and this definitely exceeded them. The book flows reasonably well and doesn't trip over the minimal K-level subtraction (and pre-school level counting) content.

More importantly, the book is also fundamentally faithful to the original story, adding only a pair of not-a-real-princesses who are otherwise perfectly nice and get married off to the Prince's brothers.

[Mavis’s Dad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I applaud turning an old fairy tale into a book full of numbers. Problem here is that I’m not familiar with the source material and this thing is so long, I stopped being able to do the math in my head.

Moral: One pea can give you generational wealth.

Length: I too learned numbers as a kid as we sang “99 Bottles of Beer” and I think it was shorter than this book.

Favorite Line: “The Real End.”

Overall Impression: Money handed down to sons for doing nothing other than getting married, searching for the Perfect Princess, living Happily Ever After with generational wealth and gold growing on vines… this is a tale only Donald Trump could give 5 stars.

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty much auto-buy anything I see from Barefoot Books because the illustrations are consistently stunning. I am a big fan of fairy tales and really enjoyed this re-imagining of the Princess and the Pea. The story can be enjoyed with doing the Maths, but it adds another dimension if you want to spend some time with it. I loved the names of the 'princesses' and the fact that the Princes married who they liked and were happy, even if their wife wasn't a 'real' princess! Will be adding to my ever-growing collection of fairy tales with a twist!

[Teresa Selders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story grade level is 1-2 grade but I think it could be for 3rd and 4th grade readers also. This story is about a plan for a queen sons to marry a true princess. I like this book because it can be used for math in the classroom. The children can learn numbers while enjoying a funny mathemagical tale. At the end of the story there's an activity where the children can test their counting skills on things they learned while reading this book. I would use this book in my library because of the math and listening skills that can be learned during this read.

[Mama Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a new twist on an old tale. If you are the kind of adult reader who feels comfortable stopping to discuss and elaborate, there are many opportunities for math discussions in this book. Counting and subtraction are the main ones, but it also gave an opportunity to introduce times. The power of this book is that it draws kids with the element of surprise as the tale unfolds differently than they expect.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book is a math-y twist on a traditional fairy tale, and would be a good choice for pre-k through 1st grade. As someone who loves math, I thought the names of the princes and princesses were cute (Geometria! Calcula!). This book would be perfect for kids who are still learning to count and recognize numbers. The pictures are fun and colorful.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to a student at my job and they quickly lost interest. I believe that this particular book is good for a certain age group. I did like how it included counting and numbers in a fun, unique way. At the end they even had some math questions.

[Haley Hoenke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Math

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this would be a fun read to have the children answer the math questions at the end of the story one time.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations. A fun way to weave numbers into the story. You had me at “A Mathemagical Tale.”

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale is an educational twist on the classic tale of the princess and the pea. The King and Queen want each of their 3 sons to find a princess to marry. However, the oldest son must marry a princess who is truly a real princess. As the story unfolds, children discover what makes a real princess and get to do a little math at the end.

The ending of this book really stands out, not because it is extremely exceptional or sad or thought-provoking, but because there are two endings. In the classic fairy tale, once the prince and princess meet, fall in love and get married, the story is over. The End. However, in this book, the author decides this isn't quite the end. This at first baffles the reader and makes you wonder why the author tells you the book is over, then informs you that she isn't quite finished with the tale. The reader is then drawn back into the story and after a few more pages you reach the real ending.

Fletcher notes that every writer struggles with the question "What's the best way to end my poem, story, article, play, or novel?" The ending is perhaps the most important part of a story. If I were teaching writing, I would definitely use this book as an example of a different and interesting way to end a story.



**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version of The Princess and the Pea was fun because it got the kids thinking about numbers. I was wondering the whole time what would happen with the numbers. The answer was that not much happened, but there is a page at the end that asks questions so that kids can go back through the book and find the answers. This was the last of our stories right before bedtime, so we didn't take the time to look at the numbers, but I think it would be fun to do.

Besides the math part, this was a fun and different retelling of the tale.

[Marcy Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites! It is the classic story of the Princess and the Pea with tons of math intertwined throughout the book. There are also several questions at the end of the story that engage the reader and force the reader to return to within the story to find the answers. A must read! You can find it here (along with a read-a-long CD): http://store.barefootbooks.com/the-re...

[Joenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mathematical tale about a King, Queen, and their three sons who each need to find a princess to marry. Only the queen knows if the girl is a true princess. The queen places peas under the matresses (like Princess and the Pea), and only if the girl can feel the pea under the matresses, is she a true princess.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the overschooled child of one of my patron's once said:
"Mommy, can't we just READ the book?"

I know that the math is supposed to be the draw, but to me the effort to make it "educational" detracted from an otherwise delightful reworking of the Hans Christian Anderson story.

Read it and enjoy it, and don't worry about underlining the addition/subtraction lessons.

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long for my 4yo but she still loved it because it was about princes and princesses. I thought the story was original and liked the ending, and I liked the illustrations (especially the layout of each page) but didn't really get that math aspect of it: was it supposed to be teaching or reinforcing certain math concepts? Weird.

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really clever mathematical approach to the tale of the Princess and the Pea. Interesting and clever but a little bit long and complicated for my just turned 4 year old. We will try it again when she is a little older as it looks like an interesting challenge and a fun tale with a nice twist at the end.

[Kaitlyn Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be great to read during math time. It is a story about math, which you can tell by the title. I loved the illustrations and all the vivid details. It was a little too long, but could still be read as a read aloud or just on your own. There was not too clear of a marriage between the text and illustrations.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun cumulative adding and counting book. Fun illustrations by Sophie Fatus and a great rhyming narrative by Brenda Williams!

You can buy this and other Barefoot Books at my website! Enjoy!

[Donna-Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can now listen to this story via the Barefoot Books Podcast.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grades 2-4. Picture Book. Loosely based on the folktale The Princess and the Pea, students can spend time the three princes and count up details in their palace. Make up your own math problems or use the questions provided in the back of the book.

[Vanessa Wester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book for my daughter a few years ago and just read it to my youngest (aged 6). She loved it, and I thought it was great!

Not your average picture book and a great way to encourage number work in young minds.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess and the Pea story that incorporates lots of math and counting.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny little retelling of the Princess and the Pea with an interesting math spin.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically the princess and the pea with lots of numbers!

[SARAH · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the princess and the pea...told in a mathematical format. It was cute. Paper-crafted illustrations.

[Marge]

math tale

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book also comes with a CD to listen to. A mathematical take on the Princess and the Pea. LOVE the book and my daughter does too.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expands on The Princess and the Pea to give characters personality, also counting book.