Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who kissed a frog, he turned into a prince, and they lived happily ever after. Right?
Not in “The Frog Princess.” She kissed the frog, and turned into a frog herself.
Princess Esmeralda is not your traditional princess. She has all the grace of a goat, and can’t seem to get control of her yards and yards of skirts. Worst of all, she’s supposed to be spending the afternoon with Prince Jorge, and she can’t stand him. When she finds out he’s coming, she heads out to the swamp behind the castle, trying to avoid her fate.
While there, she happens upon a frog, who asks her for a kiss. She’s not inclined to agree, but when he explains that he’s a prince, she’s still not inclined. She goes back to the castle to hear the news – Prince Jorge is to be her husband, and the engagement process will begin shortly. She can’t turn to anyone in the castle for comfort, and oddly enough, she decides to seek refuge with the frog.
He hears her out, and feeling grateful for his friendship, she bestows upon him the kiss he asked for. Before she knows it, she has fallen victim to a spell – and is now a frog herself.
Unsure how to reverse the spell, she spends some time with the prince, Eadric by name, learning how to be a frog. He teaches her how to catch flies (which really don’t taste as bad as they sound) and how to swim. But then they are captured by a witch who wants to use their toes and tongues in a potion, and they realize they’ve got to get help.
Managing to escape, they make their way back to the castle to hunt down Esmeralda’s aunt, who is a good witch. But they have to convince her they are telling the truth – and will she know how to break the spell?
I enjoyed this fairy tale. It was a great twist on the traditional story and the moments of humor were great. Geared toward a young adult audience, I think adults would like it too – I know I did.
(This book was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury.)
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