The Frog Prince

I really looked forward to receiving this book, as I had been looking for a beautifully illustrated version of the Frog Prince for a while. This one really seemed to fit the bill until a very unfortunate turn in the story. I'm the first to admit that I don't know if this is the original telling. However, I do not remember the frog turning into a prince after the princess "smashes" him into the wall. I was reading the story happily--princess loves ball, plays with ball, ball falls into well, frog offers to help, princess promises to love frog forever and let him live with her, frog retrieves ball, princess breaks her word, king makes princess keep her word, princess begrudgingly lets frog sleep in her bed, princess throws frog "against the wall with a mighty SMASH"--errr, I'm sorry, what was that last part?"The princess became furious over having to share her room and her bed, and could not take it any longer. In a burst of anger she reached down and grabbed the frog firmly in her fist and hollered, 'Now you will be quiet you horrible frog!' and threw him against the wall with a mighty SMASH. But when he fell he was no longer a frog but a handsome young prince with kind and beautiful eyes."(next page spread) "The king was happy as the two were wedded for life."Well, I know that there are often uncomfortable parts in the old fairy tales (grandmothers and little piggies getting eaten by wolves, poisoned apples, etc.). However, I don't remember this little fit and I'm not comfortable with a book that has someone being rewarded for poor and violent behavior. Usually the morals of fairy tales are the opposite, with goodness and decency winning out in the end. In my old version of this tale, the princess found that the frog grew on her in the process of her keeping her promise and it was a kiss that turned him into a prince, not a violent outburst spawned by a temper tantrum.I just wanted to caution other parents of this content. If this is the original and what you're looking for, have at it. The illustrations are quite lovely. I'm kind of tempted to take some white out and a Sharpie to it to change that page to my liking. Ha Ha

the story is dreadful. not as I remember. I got this as a gift and did not give it. Wrong message to give a young person. very cruel version of the story.

Wonderful story. Excellent illustrations! The pictures are so vivid that my granddaughter was able to imagine the story as I was reading it to her. Love this book!

This is for my Personal Collection Beautiful Book. Beautiful Illustration a plus to have just for that ONLY!!F R O G! Full Relying On God

The illustrations are beautiful! I collect children's books and this is a lovely addition to my collection. Anne Yvonne Gilbert is an amazing illustrator.

It is beautiful book, through and through. Super intricate artwork. My wife loves reading it and showing the pictures to our son.

Love the illustrations, all ready knew it was the true story may not be good for very young children.

My 5-year-old daughter loves the classic fairy tales and never gets tired of reading or listening to these tales. As a result, I'm always scouring bookstores, the library, and the internet for the re-telling of fairy tales, and we both enjoy reading the multiple interpretations of classic fairy tales.When my daughter saw this book at the library recently, she immediately picked it up and asked if we could check it out. I was taken by the attractive cover, and upon flipping through the book, thought the illustrator, Anne Yvonne Gilbert, has done an excellent job in bringing this tale to vivid life with her attention to detail and the beautiful colors used. But then we read the story together tonight, and I was rather taken aback by the way the story ended.Grimm's Fairy Tales are not very pleasant to read, especially in their original, unedited and unabridged form. Here, though the story has been retold, the ending is quite faithful to the original - the spoiled young princess smashes the poor frog against the wall! And how is she rewarded for this cruel act? The frog transforms into a handsome young prince and the pair get married and live happily ever after! To be fair, the author, Kathy-Jo Wargin, has remained faithful to the original tale. Unfortunately, parents reading this story to young children may find themselves in the difficult position of having to explain the princess' actions and how her cruel act goes unpunished/unaddressed. My 5-year-old appeared bewildered when we read this part together, and she was especially concerned about the frog - "How was it the frog was uninjured?" "Why was the Princess being so mean?", and "Doesn't the Princess get a time-out for throwing the poor frog against the wall?"Based on my own experience, I would advice parents and teachers to be aware of this "violent" bit in the story prior to reading the book, and perhaps be more prepared in addressing the inevitable questions arising as a result. The illustrations on the other hand,are excellent and make this a wonderful picture book, especially for collectors.

okay

What a beautiful Book! I bought it for myself as I really love the illustrations by Anne Yvonne Gilbert, who just happens to be a relative by marriage.I could look at them for hours.

This is an awesome edition. the illustrations are so beautiful. It is a truly beautiful book to have. A must have for any library.