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A lovely, reillustrated rendition of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea is the simple story of a prince who desperately wants to marry a real princess. Unfortunately, there is always something about the princesses he meets that is not quite right. (He doesn’t invite them all over for sleepovers, as in other versions of the story.)
One evening there is a storm, and a wet princess comes to the castle. The queen invites her to sleep in the guest room and has the servants get out the twenty mattresses and quilts, and she slips a pea under the bottom mattress. Sure enough, the princess sleeps very badly. In the morning, the prince knows that nobody but a real princess could be that sensitive, so he marries her.
It is wonderful to know that this traditional tale is still accessible to young children without embellishment or modern twists. Dusikova uses the original translation as the foundation for her beautiful watercolor illustrations.
The people are depicted as one might imagine in a classic fairy tale, but there are some humorous details which make the story fun—including a toddler playing with a bowl of peas, a mischievous look on the queen’s face as she place the pea under the mattress, and portraits of all the rejected princesses showing their faults (eating too many sweets, sticking her tongue out, hoarding gold, etc.)
Every child should be exposed to the classic fairy tales. They are the foundation upon which many other stories are written and often referred to in other works of literature. Highly recommended.
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The Princess and the Pea