The Prince of the Pond

September 28, 1992
This variation on "The Frog Prince" is told by Jade, a watchful female frog who teaches the bewitched royal how to survive in the pond. Jade eventually becomes a frog wife and mother to a school of tadpoles. The romance between these two characters, somewhat convoluted and tinged with adult sensibilities, changes Jade's outlook and alters the traditional habits of the frog world. Incorporated into the story are absorbing observations about pond life from a factual perspective. However, Pin's attempts to humanize the frog world are questionable, as his eventual return to human form in front of his amphibian family leaves them saddened and bereft. The story is further weakened by an ongoing, supposedly comic device: the Prince, due to a problem with his tongue, indulges in a kind of baby talk, so that his words emerge as "fawg" for frog and "obteh" for lobster . Aided little by Schachner's rough-hewn black-and-white drawings (a few witty, some repetitious), the story, sadly, does not measure up to its premise. Ages 7-10.

February 1, 2000
Gr 3-6-This retold fairy tale has its poignant moments, but it's also hilarious at times. Most of the funny bits come when the prince who's been turned into a frog tries to communicate. He can't pronounce words so well because he doesn't know how to roll up his tongue (hence the subtitle), so it makes a great read-aloud. Pin bravely taunts a dangerous spiked turtle with mangled insults like "you one dumb tuh-tuh," hops to safety, then spits a rock at him. A female frog makes earnest attempts to understand the extraordinary title character. She's a smart little amphibian, but readers know exactly why Pin is such a puzzle to her, which makes her efforts to figure him out all the more humorous. Science Is Fun Award: Readers will enjoy this funny fairy tale, but they will also learn about what makes frogs different from toads, why they have two vocal sacs, and how the whole mating thing works.

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.