The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-be

by Mini Grey

When it comes to sorting out a Real Princess from a Fake Princess, the famous pea-under-the-mattress test is tried-and-true. But for those of you who may have wondered how anyone could feel a tiny garden-variety pea under the weight of twenty mattresses, this book will put that question to rest once and for all.

This witty spoof was shortlisted for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in the UK. It was Mini Grey's first book and a worthy predecessor to such favorites as Traction Man is Here!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Princesses, Fantasy, Retellings, Fractured Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2003

About the author

Mini Grey was given her name after being born in a Mini in a car park in Newport, Wales. She studied for an MA in Sequential Illustration at Brighton under the tutelage of John Vernon Lord. Mini also worked as a primary school teacher in Oxford, where she now lives. Her books includeEgg Drop, The Pea and the Princess (shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal), Biscuit Bear(winner of the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award), Traction Man is Here (winner of the Boston Horn Book Award and shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal), The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon (winner of the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Bronze Award and winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal), and Traction Man meets Turbodog. Mini Grey is one of the Big Picture's ten Best New Illustrators. (source: https://www.penguin.co.uk/puffin/auth...)

Reviews

[Francesca Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Queen has a pea that she gives to the prince and tells him that he will find a princess with it. He must place it under her mattress, even with 20 she will feel it. The pea moved to the princess' pillow and started speaking to her whilst she was asleep. The Queen asked how she slept and the princess told her that she didn't sleep well at all due to something bothering her which was the pea. In the end the pea ended up as an artefact and seemed very proud of it. This classic tale was told in the point of view from the pea which was a lovely alternative to hear as it personifies the pea. The images were very colourful. There is vocabulary that can be discussed with children such as the word 'allotment' from where the pea came from and 'artefact' from what the pea ended up being. Lots of adjectives were used to describe the different types of princesses such as 'too funny' and 'too tidy'.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading various accounts of The Princess and the Pea and found this very unique one. It’s told from the point of view of the pea!

The illustrations are really great: They’re full of intricate and entertaining details. I especially loved the picture of the princess who takes her teddy bear to bed with her.

Anyway, it’s fun to see how the princess is finally chosen in this very funny story. I will say that the pea has a lot to do with it. This might be one of my favorite twisted fairy tales in picture book form.

[Rebecca Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it's a twist on a well known fairytale. This book enables the children to experience the fairytale from the pea's perspective. I think that this book could be used to encourage children to write a diary entry from the perspective of the pea and the pea waiting for the princess-to-be to be found.

[Chrissi Guarnieri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This version of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale, the Princess and the Pea, is written from the Pea's perspective. The pea is selected by the palace gardener to be placed at the bottom of twenty mattresses and feather beds and to test the legitimacy of each princess that wants to marry the prince. The pea witnesses countless princesses rejected by the Queen and the Prince simply because they were too polite to admit they had slept horribly. One stormy night, a drenched woman (the gardener) knocked on the palace door, and the Queen allowed her to sleep atop the stack of mattresses. Though out the night the pea whispered in her ear about the "large round uncomfortable thing" that made her sleep horribly. When she woke she told the queen.
This story is entertaining, the illustrations are fitting, and overall a new perspective on a classic tale.
Fractured Fairy Tale

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming picture book presents a very popular fairytale in a surprising way, namely from the pea’s point of view. It is funny and engaging. The fabulous illustrations can caught our attention as they are very detailed and colourful. The fact that the eyes of the main characters are made from the peas as is the Queen's (and cat’s) jewellery and the wallpapers have a vegetable design constitute an interesting aspect of the book which may appeal to the readers.

This story can form a basis for many activities, such as comparing two tales: the original Andersen’s version with the Mini Grey’s one. Moreover, it can lead to a discussion on seeing things from different perspectives and therefore can be used during PSHE lessons. Marvellous illustrations and an interesting concept make this book a perfect choice for a story time. Highly recommended!

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Princess and the Pea, as told by the Pea, who was destined for important things. I love the illustrations in which the characters have peas for eyes, and the home decor features peas and other vegetables. It's a great spoof, with many possibilities for the classroom. I'd like to use it to reinforce adjectives--the princess wannabes are all too loud, quiet, funny, grumpy, sleepy, scruffy, tidy, pink, scary, etc. The pea comes to the rescue for the prince, helping him land the girl who is just right for him. I'm going to include this book in fairy-tale units for comparison with the classic tale.

Bonus Note--Mini Grey was named Mini because she was born in a Mini Cooper automobile in a parking lot in Wales.

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE VERY SMART PEA AND THE PRINCESS-TO-BE
Review
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In my opinion, the illustrations of the prince and the queen are borderline creepy (are those peas for eyes or are they glowing?), and my dislike of personification of things like peas is well-documented on GoodReads. So, those two factors, combined with a general dislike of the story, means that this is a no-go for me...

(Frankly, I still like to think that there is something more magical in the kingdom than a personified pea.)

But, just because this book is not for me does not mean that kids might not like it...

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute detailed illustrations but the green pea eyes were creepy. It had a fun twist in the middle of the plot from the traditional story but the ending remains pretty much unchanged. The ending happens to be one fairy tale ending that is very unsatisfying- who said the poor girl wanted to marry the picky prince and why was she knocking on their door at night in a storm in the first place? Plenty of questions to explore in a retelling but they aren't addressed here.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the setting, very homely. And of course the princess eventually chosen by the pea turns out to be perfect for the prince... and though we're not sure of the queen's reaction, she did honor her vow.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great alternate version of The Princess and the Pea with a gardener girl featured. Very interesting illustrations. Lovely and colorful book. Kids will enjoy. Lots of funny details dripping off the pages. Award winning author. Highly recommended for Grades 2-4.

[Andrew Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read Mini Grey's topsy-turvy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (The Last Wolf) on the recent UKLA 3-6 shortlist, I was interested to discover this similarly innovative retelling of the Princess and the Pea by the same author 15 years previously. Originally simply entitled 'The Pea and the Princess', Grey narrates Hans Christian Anderson's 1835 Scandinavian fairy tale from the perspective of the pea, who in this version crawls out from under the many mattresses to alert a sleeping potential royal bride to his presence by whispering in her ear. Inevitably, appointing the pea the protagonist necessitates a slightly cumbersome hiatus half-way through in order to provide 'background information', and stereotypes prevalent in the original tale from 200 years ago persist. Twenty-first Century children are unlikely to accept that royalty have superior powers of perception, nor likely to sympathise with rejection of others based upon such a belief, nor endorse the bossy Queen's view that, at 34, her prince must marry a woman or be considered a failure. The illustrations whilst detailed potentially take the stereotypes further: the Queen bears a striking resemblance to a 1980s Queen Elizabeth II, with a permanent handbag, necklace and frown. Nevertheless, this picture book would encourage young readers to consider stories from many different characters' viewpoints, examining all of the participants' thoughts and feelings and realizing that any event is retold differently through the unique interpretation formed by the eyes of each observer. The clever weaving of vegetable-growing through the illustrations - the text makes no direct mention of it - also links nicely into the fact the protagonist is himself a vegetable: the chosen princess here is actually the palace gardener's daughter, portrayed subtly outside windows pruning trees or delivering vegetables when fulfilling the role of the rain-soaked traveller. The prince reads books about allotments, palace furnishings all seem to be decorated with carrots and leeks: you could base an entire KS1 lesson on how many references to vegetables children can spot in the illustrations. Will they notice the beautiful vegetable garden endpapers, plus the contrast between the start endpaper's barren garden and the end's floweringly fruitful equivalent? How might this contrast depict/reflect the developments in the story?

[Falaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose the book 'The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-be' by Mini Grey as it has an interesting twist to the original fairy-tale story. This book is written from the pea's perspective and adds a humorous twist to the original. I like how the story is written from the pe's perspective as it is unique and interesting. The pictures in the book are colourful and detailed which makes it appealing to read and look at. I chose to review this book as it is a creative way of retelling the original story, and can be appealing to all ages throughout primary school. I read this with a Year 5 class and they enjoyed the humour and the pictures whilst we read. This book can be used in the classroom during literacy and writing as you could discuss how it is written from a different perspective, and the children could have a go writing a story from a different perspective.

[Libby Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the re-telling of the princess and the pea but told from the pea's point of view who is bored of waiting under all the matresses for the right princess to feel him, so he whispers to the next girl to sleep in the bed to make sure she tells the queen the next day that she felt the pea.
This story uses language probably more suitable for Reception - year 2 but there are some lovely words in the book for children to explore such as allotment.
This book could be used for phase 1 and 2 phonics, for the "p" sound and blending words such as "pea".

[Fiona Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this take on Hans Christian Andersen's original Fairytale 'The Princess and the Pea' which was a favourite of mine as a child. This Mini Grey adaptation tells the story from the Pea's perspective and reveals how the Pea helped the princess. I also enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, as the girl who ends up marrying the Prince originally is seen working in the Prince's Palace Allotment at the start of the book.

[Anna Penniston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book and author. This book allows the reader to think about how a story can be told from different points of view. Although this book is successful with KS1 children, it still offers itself to KS2, due to the clear personification, points of view, and humour used in the book. However, it would be more effective if children already had a clear knowledge of nursery rhymes and traditional tales.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've all heard the story from the Princess's perspective, but here's the tale from the Pea's point of view. It's cute!

Ages: 4 - 8

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[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book as it gave a different perspective of the original story the princess and the pea. I liked the fact that the pea was represented through out the book in many different ways and that this book relates to children by using the phrase 'I shall stop your pocket money'. it also shows that no matter how hard you try never to give up and everything will work itself out no matter howling it takes.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no reason to believe that the "princess" even had the desire to be a princess. She had no agency in this story. I wish there had been some sort of connection between her and the prince in the beginning to make the end more satisfying. Telling the story from the pea's perspective is original, but even then, there is no character development for the pea. The art is nice.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very favorite fairy/folk tale from childhood told in this version by the one tiny pea placed under the bed. Love the point of view and it was even funnier because I have grown many peas in my lifetime. Laugh out loud funny if one is familiar with this story! And the illustrations are fun and yes that garden girl is always around!

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This light-hearted story, based on the well-known tale of the princess and the pea, is from the pea’s perspective. I liked the fact that it is based on an alternative point of view, with wonderful, vibrant illustrations and some quite complex vocabulary for children to work with. An enjoyable read!

[Cassidy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shares a traditional story from the perspective of the pea. The reader gets the same product as they would with the original perspective, but this book gives the reader a new way to look at it.

[Albana Bregu · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to feel a tiny pea when you sleep over 20 mattresses and be a princess?
Of course, the pea will help by whispering while you sleep that your bed is uncomfortable because it has a round lump.
A book with lovely colours and images for children to enjoy.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from the Pea's perspective, this rendition of the classic "princess and the pea" story changes things up a bit. The princess isn't a princess at all, and the pea orchestrates everything, but it's a very cute retelling. Wonderful illustrations as well!

[Samantha Ruth Lai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ACTUALLY LOVED THIS FAIRYTALE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER not sure what the whole point of it was or how it cld be true but i looooved it teehee the princess and the pea!!! // so fun to read things from the perspective of the pea LOLZ

[Chris Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate the story 4 stars as it is a nice twist on the original...not impressed by the art and my 5 year old was not a fan of the queen's eyes as they were peas...in a disturbing monster way. He has lots of questions about this tale and Mini Grey has given him a great new perspective.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute take on the traditional princess and the pea story told from the perspective of the pea. Love the pea's interference and the twist ending. preschool and up for humor and length

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great in ks1 to show the inverse to a traditional tale! strong imagery which tell most of the story because there are very few words.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny story by Mini Grey, another side to the classic story of the princess and the pea.. lovely illustration inside, I can’t wait to read this with a class of children!

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The princess and the pea fairytale told from the pea’s perspective was unique. I would definitely recommend this to be read to children but I enjoyed it as a 20 year-old too.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Princess and Pea story as told by the pea!