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Princess Pigsty
The fourth picture book by literary sensation Funke and celebrated illustrator Meyer; a modern-day, girl-powered, fairy-tale-in-reverse!
One morning Princess Isabella throws her crown out the window--it's BORING being a princess, she declares. When she steadfastly refuses to fetch her crown from the fishpond, her father, the king, puts his royal foot down. "Off to the pigsty with you!" he commands--and Isabella couldn't be happier about her punishment! Because while plain old princesses spend all their time primping and smiling and stifling yawns--yuckety-yuk!-- REAL girls get to peel onions, pick blackberries, and sometimes even sleep outside with the pigs.
One morning Princess Isabella throws her crown out the window--it's BORING being a princess, she declares. When she steadfastly refuses to fetch her crown from the fishpond, her father, the king, puts his royal foot down. "Off to the pigsty with you!" he commands--and Isabella couldn't be happier about her punishment! Because while plain old princesses spend all their time primping and smiling and stifling yawns--yuckety-yuk!-- REAL girls get to peel onions, pick blackberries, and sometimes even sleep outside with the pigs.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
307 people want to read
About the author
Cornelia Funke
429 books14.1k followersCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 3, 2018
Being a princess is not easy. Everything is about being pretty. The youngest of 3 princesses simply wants to live life. She wants to get dirty and work and experience life. So she throws her crown in the fishpond. The King punishes her by giving her what she wants. She works in the kitchens and lives with the pigs. She is finally happy.
It's a cute story. My niece did not understand this story at all. 'Why would she do that?', 'That's really gross'. It was funny to hear her working through the story.
The artwork didn't do anything for me.
It's a cute story. My niece did not understand this story at all. 'Why would she do that?', 'That's really gross'. It was funny to hear her working through the story.
The artwork didn't do anything for me.
September 11, 2010
When Princess Isabella grows tired of being a princess and throws her crown into the fishpond, her father the King punishes her by putting her to work. First it's off to the royal kitchen to peel potatoes and then it's off to the pigsty!
Very sweet story that ends happily with a beautiful moment shared between father and daughter. Perfect for little girls who would rather get dirty, climb trees and pick blackberries then be forced to wear a dress and curl their hair!
This story would also be great for vegan children. After spending time in the pigsty nuzzling and scratching the pigs, Isabella learns how smart pigs are and tells her father it's "a shame to eat them." It was an unexpected moment but it made me smile.
Very sweet story that ends happily with a beautiful moment shared between father and daughter. Perfect for little girls who would rather get dirty, climb trees and pick blackberries then be forced to wear a dress and curl their hair!
This story would also be great for vegan children. After spending time in the pigsty nuzzling and scratching the pigs, Isabella learns how smart pigs are and tells her father it's "a shame to eat them." It was an unexpected moment but it made me smile.
September 26, 2010
Unexpectedly veg*n (= vegan & vegetarian). Sort of. Great line Princess Isabella says about pigs: “…And that they’re incredibly smart animals? It’s a shame to eat them.”
I loved this book even without that line. It’s a very funny book. Isabella, the youngest of three sisters, is tired of being a princess. It’s amusing to see her behavior and how her punishments for it aren’t punishment for her. It’s got a very sweet end too.
The illustrations are wonderful; they’re expressive, amusing, aesthetically pleasing, and with a lot of view, even though not particularly intricate.
Definitely fun to read aloud!
I loved this book even without that line. It’s a very funny book. Isabella, the youngest of three sisters, is tired of being a princess. It’s amusing to see her behavior and how her punishments for it aren’t punishment for her. It’s got a very sweet end too.
The illustrations are wonderful; they’re expressive, amusing, aesthetically pleasing, and with a lot of view, even though not particularly intricate.
Definitely fun to read aloud!
March 25, 2018
Most little girl want to be princesses, with fancy dresses, tea parties, servants, the whole nine yards! However, this little girl already IS a princess and she HATES it!! She gets so angry about it that she literally throws her crown out the window, and this leads her father to give her a punishment. He sends her out to the pig pen as her punishment, but it backfires because she ends up LOVING it. She is actually happier out with the pigs than inside primping and pressing.
December 9, 2008
A really fun book to read. I got to yell a lot and be very dramatic which the kids always love. We read this over and over. About being true to yourself, and compromise.
May 8, 2022
Very much classical fairytale vibes with this one, it's cute.
November 3, 2015
Originally rated G by Darcy Bernstein
Princess Isabella leads the stereotypical life of luxury- being waited on hand and foot,a life that most other children can only dream about. She has someone to blow her nose for her and curl her hair as well. She is tired of smiling endlessly, and wearing fancy dresses. Isabella is frustrated that she is not allowed to climb trees or have fun like normal children her age. "I am tired of being a princess! It's boring, boring, boring!" she laments. This independent little girl wants to do things for herself. She is not content to live the life of a princess like her older sisters. Out of boredom and anger, Isabella yanks off her crown and tosses it into the goldfish pond. Her two sisters witness her actions and are horrified when she refuses to fish her crown out of the water. Isabella is not even afraid when her father arrives on the scene. Determined to be an ordinary child, Isabella wants to try ordinary things. Her father, the King, is disgruntled when at his request she refuses to fetch the crown. Out of frustration, the King resorts to threaten Isabella with various punishments that he must then carry out when she ignores his pleas. Sent to the kitchen to peel potatoes and polish pans for three days, she is delighted to learn new things. When her punishment is over she emerges from the kitchen and asks her father,"Did you know that cream is made from milk?" The king, does not find her actions amusing and sends her to the pigsty. Isabella is "happy as a pig in the mud" with her new surroundings. Still she refuses to obey the King. Finally, Isabella and her father come to an understanding that is mutually agreeable to them both. The message that the reader gets is that it is okay to be a princess if that makes you happy. Happily, not everyone is content with the exact same things in life. Readers will giggle at the antics of Princess Isabella and will relate to the consequences that come with not doing as you are told.
Princess Isabella leads the stereotypical life of luxury- being waited on hand and foot,a life that most other children can only dream about. She has someone to blow her nose for her and curl her hair as well. She is tired of smiling endlessly, and wearing fancy dresses. Isabella is frustrated that she is not allowed to climb trees or have fun like normal children her age. "I am tired of being a princess! It's boring, boring, boring!" she laments. This independent little girl wants to do things for herself. She is not content to live the life of a princess like her older sisters. Out of boredom and anger, Isabella yanks off her crown and tosses it into the goldfish pond. Her two sisters witness her actions and are horrified when she refuses to fish her crown out of the water. Isabella is not even afraid when her father arrives on the scene. Determined to be an ordinary child, Isabella wants to try ordinary things. Her father, the King, is disgruntled when at his request she refuses to fetch the crown. Out of frustration, the King resorts to threaten Isabella with various punishments that he must then carry out when she ignores his pleas. Sent to the kitchen to peel potatoes and polish pans for three days, she is delighted to learn new things. When her punishment is over she emerges from the kitchen and asks her father,"Did you know that cream is made from milk?" The king, does not find her actions amusing and sends her to the pigsty. Isabella is "happy as a pig in the mud" with her new surroundings. Still she refuses to obey the King. Finally, Isabella and her father come to an understanding that is mutually agreeable to them both. The message that the reader gets is that it is okay to be a princess if that makes you happy. Happily, not everyone is content with the exact same things in life. Readers will giggle at the antics of Princess Isabella and will relate to the consequences that come with not doing as you are told.
September 18, 2007
This is a book about a pincess with two older sisters that doe not want to be a princess anymore!she throws her crown out of the window,into the goldfish pond.Her sisters are socked,ring there golde bells and servants come in to brush their hair,put on beautiful dresses and make shure that they are sparkling .But at this day,the small pinces is,1,2,3, underneath her bed.Her father gets very angry a ther and says that she should go in the kichten for three days and work there.The little princessc loves to work in the kitchen and after three days ,as her father,the king ,wants to know if she will now get her crown out of the pond sshe saud no and her father got er y ver y very very very angry,so he sent her to the pig stables to work there for 6 days.The princess loves the work and even gets her blanket to sleep in the stable.In that night,her father went ot the goldfish pond and got out the crown.Tan he went to the pigsstabls and wakedup his little daughter and gave her her cronw.Than both went ,hand in hand,back to the castle and the princess said that she will ambey waere the crown for feeding the chickens.
I like this story because i like the Idea that Cornelis Funkes prines does not wantot be a priness,while many little girls arround the wirld would love wearing beautiull dresses and getting so many servants that you can't count them and most important of all ,they want to have a prince,don't work.....But tge little princess in Cornelias Story is right the opposite!She does not want ot tbe a princess any more and so I think that is a quite good Idea, from the author,Cornleis Funke.
I like this story because i like the Idea that Cornelis Funkes prines does not wantot be a priness,while many little girls arround the wirld would love wearing beautiull dresses and getting so many servants that you can't count them and most important of all ,they want to have a prince,don't work.....But tge little princess in Cornelias Story is right the opposite!She does not want ot tbe a princess any more and so I think that is a quite good Idea, from the author,Cornleis Funke.
October 28, 2013
Another book by the author/illustrator team of Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer, Princess Pigsty highlights a princess who just doesn't fit the mold. Unlike her two sisters, Isabella just isn't happy with thirty walk-in closets full of beautiful clothes, "footmen to blow their noses for them and ladies-in-waiting to tidy up their rooms, hang up their clothes, and polish their crowns until they shone." She wants to - gasp! - get dirty! And blow her own nose! And climb trees! And even - horrors! - WEAR PANTS!
Her father, the king, thinks he knows how to solve this problem. He sends her to the kitchens to wash dishes, peel onions, and scrub ovens, certain that would cure her insolence. But it doesn't work. She loves it! So he sends her to the pigsty where she feeds the pigs and cleans their pens. She loves it so much that she beds down in the straw with the animals instead of in her royal bedroom.
Finally, the king has an epiphany. "Oh my little daughter," he said, and he sat down next to her on the straw. "You are dirty and your hair feels like straw, but you look happy!" She assures him that she is. "I'm happier than I've ever been before in my entire life." Her happiness is more important to him than his insistence that she fit neatly into a cookie-cutter definition of what a princess should be, and do, and like.
For more book reviews, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
Her father, the king, thinks he knows how to solve this problem. He sends her to the kitchens to wash dishes, peel onions, and scrub ovens, certain that would cure her insolence. But it doesn't work. She loves it! So he sends her to the pigsty where she feeds the pigs and cleans their pens. She loves it so much that she beds down in the straw with the animals instead of in her royal bedroom.
Finally, the king has an epiphany. "Oh my little daughter," he said, and he sat down next to her on the straw. "You are dirty and your hair feels like straw, but you look happy!" She assures him that she is. "I'm happier than I've ever been before in my entire life." Her happiness is more important to him than his insistence that she fit neatly into a cookie-cutter definition of what a princess should be, and do, and like.
For more book reviews, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
January 15, 2016
Isabella and her sisters are princesses and their lives - according to Isabella - are BORING. They have to wear fancy dresses and heavy crowns, have their hair curled, and stand around doing nothing. When Isabella has a fit about it, her father sends her first to the kitchen and then to the pig sty to learn some manners. Isabella learns, instead, how to cook and all kinds of things about pigs. She's happy. The king (wisely) realizes that this is who Isabella is (a princess, still, but not the boring kind!), and asks her to come home to the castle because he misses her. Very sweet.
Isabella's a stubborn heroine who is determined to make her life useful and interesting. Empowering.
Excerpt:
When night came and the moon shone over the castle, the king crept out of his palace. He went to the fishpond and fished out his youngest daughter's crown. Then he went to find her in the pigsty.
"Oh my little daughter," he said, and sat down next to her on the straw. "You are dirty and your hair feels like straw, but you look happy!"
"Yes, Daddy!" said Isabella. "I'm happier than I've ever been before in my entire life."
"Good!" The king sighed. "Here is your crown. You may do as you wish with it as long as you come back to the castle. I miss you."
"I suppose I can wear it now and then," said Isabella. "Perhaps when I'm feeding the chickens or picking blackberries. Did you know that you can make jam out of blackberries?"
"No, I didn't know that," said the king. "But one of these days you can show me how it's done."
Isabella's a stubborn heroine who is determined to make her life useful and interesting. Empowering.
Excerpt:
When night came and the moon shone over the castle, the king crept out of his palace. He went to the fishpond and fished out his youngest daughter's crown. Then he went to find her in the pigsty.
"Oh my little daughter," he said, and sat down next to her on the straw. "You are dirty and your hair feels like straw, but you look happy!"
"Yes, Daddy!" said Isabella. "I'm happier than I've ever been before in my entire life."
"Good!" The king sighed. "Here is your crown. You may do as you wish with it as long as you come back to the castle. I miss you."
"I suppose I can wear it now and then," said Isabella. "Perhaps when I'm feeding the chickens or picking blackberries. Did you know that you can make jam out of blackberries?"
"No, I didn't know that," said the king. "But one of these days you can show me how it's done."
March 15, 2014
Princess Isabella is tired of being the typical princess. She wants to play outside, have fun, and go wild! She's cooped up all day learning how to smile right, laugh right, and one day she throws away her crown and says enough. Her father isn't very happy with his daughter's decision. She refuses to get her crown back from where it landed so the king decides to send her to the kitchens and then to the pigsty. Every day that passes by her knowledge and love grows for everything outside of the castle. She embraces her new name - Princess Pigsty.
Of course I loved how rebellious and independent Isabella was. She held steadfast to who she was not caring what others thought about her. Many girls can see a great example in Isabella to not let anyone hold you back from who you want to be. I didn't feel this was too short like I usually feel with picture books. It's a picture book that can be enjoyed by anyone. I liked how the illustrations were created. It's kind of haphazard in a very good way since the story is how it is. All in all this was a very sweet story about a girl who stuck to what she wanted. It worked out for everyone in the end.
Of course I loved how rebellious and independent Isabella was. She held steadfast to who she was not caring what others thought about her. Many girls can see a great example in Isabella to not let anyone hold you back from who you want to be. I didn't feel this was too short like I usually feel with picture books. It's a picture book that can be enjoyed by anyone. I liked how the illustrations were created. It's kind of haphazard in a very good way since the story is how it is. All in all this was a very sweet story about a girl who stuck to what she wanted. It worked out for everyone in the end.
May 4, 2008
Princess Isabella is sick of being a princess. It's "boring." She can't climb trees in her princess dresses and she hates getting her hair curled. She defies her father, the king, and refuses to fish out her crown that she tossed into the fish pond. As punishment she's banished first to the kitchen to peel potatos and polish pans and next to the pigsty. She's never been happier in her life. Not your typical "princess" story. When I read it to my 3 year old niece she asked me at the end, "Why didn't she get married?" Provides a nice alternative to the those saccarine-y, disney-esque princess tales.
November 24, 2012
This is a very cute and sweet story about a princess pig. Princess pigsty gets fed up with being a princess she thinks it is too boring being a princess so she throws her tiara out the window. Her father exclaims to her that she is going to be punished and she is going to be doing lots of work now. However, Princess pigsty could not be any more happy because she wants to sleep with pigs, pick blackberries, and do lots of more outside activities that will consist of her getting dirty instead of being a cute, clean, and always pampered princess. This book is great because of its different twist that royalty like working with pigs and feeding the chickens.
February 22, 2018
Another non-princess book! Isabella wants to live like a regular person, not a bored, pampered princess. When she gets that opportunity, she thrives. She wants to get dirty, wear pants, and feed the animals. She doesn’t want to wear a crown or a princess dress or have her hair curled. Will her dad, the king, let her be who she is? If he misses her enough, he will.
October 17, 2008
Genre: Picture book
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Expectations of princesses. Father-daughter relationships.
Curricular Use: Shared
Social: Acting like a princess has many implications: ignorance of royal family(lack of common knowledge). Be true to yourself.
Literary Elements: Humor. Symbolizing of crown equalling princess: since she would not wear it, couldn't be a princess and sent to kitchen and pigsty. Conflict between Isabella and sisters and father.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Expectations of princesses. Father-daughter relationships.
Curricular Use: Shared
Social: Acting like a princess has many implications: ignorance of royal family(lack of common knowledge). Be true to yourself.
Literary Elements: Humor. Symbolizing of crown equalling princess: since she would not wear it, couldn't be a princess and sent to kitchen and pigsty. Conflict between Isabella and sisters and father.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures
April 26, 2013
Isabella is tired of being a princess. Tired of having her hair curled and having everything done for her. She wants to do things for herself and to get dirty! So, she throws her crown out the window and into the fishpond.
And when she refuses to get her crown, the king sends her off to do kitchen work and then, finally to the pigsty.
This is quite a fun book. I like Isabella and how she is determined to be herself no matter what. Her father, the king, is upset at first, but eventually he just accepts Isabella the way she is. Really nice book.
And when she refuses to get her crown, the king sends her off to do kitchen work and then, finally to the pigsty.
This is quite a fun book. I like Isabella and how she is determined to be herself no matter what. Her father, the king, is upset at first, but eventually he just accepts Isabella the way she is. Really nice book.
June 21, 2013
My 3 and 5 year old like this book, but are unsure of who the sympathetic character is. They comment that the little princess is rude for complaining so much about her life as a princess. She even throws her crown out the window and into a pond and argues with her father. I see a broader message or "be true to who you are and the need for parents to accept who their children are going to be despite their expectations". But this message is lost on my young ones who only see a rude princess who likes to be dirty.
July 29, 2015
The story of a princess that wants nothing to do with the pampered royal life that she was born into, this story is a gender-role bender with a strong message of being yourself even when the world doesn't back you up. The biggest change comes not from the unyielding protagonist princess, but from her father who learns to accept that his daughter wants a life with more purpose and substance than what he was providing. It's a nice story, similar to other books that I've read but well done all the same. Good book.
October 5, 2008
This book is great for p-k to 2nd grade. It is about a princess who is tired of being a princess and she throws her crown into the goldfish pond. Her father, the king punishes her by making her work in the kitchen and by making her clean the pigsty. It turns out that she loves doing it and her father realizes how happy she is. He decides that it is okay for her not to be a perfect little princess, he just wants her to be happy. This is a fun book. I liked it a lot
April 3, 2009
We liked this because it was funny. The little princess doesn't want her hair curled and hid under the bed. She also threw her crown out the window. Because she won't go retrieve it she is assigned to the kitchen and when that doesn't convince her to get her crown out of the goldfish pond, her father sends her to the pigsty. She loves the pigsty. Finally, she and her father see eye to eye. The princess is finally granted a "normal" life. Hooray!
August 20, 2009
While I did enjoy seeing the antics of this fed-up princess, there were parts that were slightly unbelievable. The ending was rather neatly wrapped up as well. But still, I did like how the youngest princess handled her dilemma and the illustrations captured her moods nicely. I might recommend if you liked off-the-wall princess books.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
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April 4, 2011I really like this book, it has a fairy tale feel but there's a twist when the princess is punished and has to stay with pigs. I liked the message this book gave which is "the grass isnt always greener on the other side". Most girls would love to be treated like royalty, but this one just wants to be normal and get her hands dirty. She ends up really enjoying being around the pigs and her father learns to love unconditionally.
December 22, 2012
This is the Spanish version of Princess Pigsty, which is about a princess named Isabella who is sick of being a frilly, fussy, no-fun princess. One day, she throws her crown out, and, at the command of her father for not putting her crown back on, is sent to the pigsty. Isabella is thrilled to live like an everyday little girl. This story shows that girls can be whoever they want to be--the tiara is optional.
October 19, 2007
This book is about a young princess who would rather muck out the pigsty than wear her crown and have everything done for her. The writing is engaging (Cornelia Funke is also the author of the young adult novels Inkheart and Inkspell) and the illustrations are humorous and well-matched. This is a great book for young girls who like to climb trees. And boys, too!
September 12, 2008
I think this one will go over SO well with Book Time. It's a great story, it's funny, the pictures are great, it's fast, it will keep their attention, and it's not too short. It will be fun to tell and I think they would still enjoy listening to it. Not too young for them. I'll have to work on making the king more "likable" near the end because it seemed a rather sudden change of heart for him.
December 2, 2008
Tired of being a princess, the youngest of three sisters throws her crown out the window and finds happiness working in the royal kitchen and pigsty.
Reading Practice
Book Level: 3.3
Interest Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)
Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction
Topic - Subtopic: Behavior-Cleanliness; Character Traits-Individuality; People-Royalty
Reading Practice
Book Level: 3.3
Interest Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)
Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction
Topic - Subtopic: Behavior-Cleanliness; Character Traits-Individuality; People-Royalty
April 13, 2009
A great story of how being a princess isn't always what it's cracked up to be and sometimes it's better to be just a normal little girl who can get dirty, play with animals, and have fun, rather than spend all her time learning how to sit on a throne without fidgeting, curtsy without falling over and "how to smile for a whole hour without taking a break."
December 28, 2011
Isabella isn't your typical princess. Curled hair and sparkly crowns aren't at the top of her list-but mucking around with pigs and helping out in the kitchen are. Luckily for her, she is
"punished" by her father, the king, and sent to help out there. And that's where they both discover that it's okay for a princess to get her hands dirty.
"punished" by her father, the king, and sent to help out there. And that's where they both discover that it's okay for a princess to get her hands dirty.
October 26, 2013
This book starts off as a typical princess story. They get what they want and they have servants and everything. The youngest princess does not want to be a princess anymore because it is too boring. She wants to be able to get dirty and do her own things for herself. The pictures are very nice. They look like any one could draw them which makes them realistic for the kids.
March 6, 2014
I thought the story was entertaining and well told. The character of Isabella will almost surely appeal to lots of kids, even boys. My only objection was that in a few instances, text was spread out widely across a page, and was therefore a challenge to read. I would think that it would be hard to track for some children trying to read it on their own.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews