The Golden Ball

by Katelyn Sinclair

Overview

Why exactly did the princess kiss that frog? This story of bargaining gone awry — told in perfect rhyme — pits a feisty, spoiled princess against a talking frog with a hidden agenda. Emphasizing the importance of kindness and integrity, The Golden Ball is a fresh and witty interpretation of the classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937186005
Publisher:	Chthonicity Press
Publication date:	07/04/2011
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

In her children's picture book, Sinclair turns a Brothers Grimm classic about a frog and a princess into playful poetry that begs to be read aloud. In this engaging reinterpretation of the familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale about an arrogant princess and a witch-cursed-prince-turned-amphibian, Sinclair uses rhyming iambic tetrameter couplets--"An infant princess once was born / Upon an early winter morn / So long ago and far away / Her name is lost to us today"--to tell the tale of enchantment, transformation and royal comeuppance. Sinclair manages the form evenly throughout, from the origins of the princess' favorite toy ("Because he loved her most of all / The Sun gave her a golden ball") to the extended happy ending--with the spell broken by a friendly kiss, the little princess and the restored prince, still children, become best friends. They play together, grow up "[a]nd as a happy consequence / They fell in love a few years hence." In addition to introducing young readers to a classic form of poetry, Sinclair stretches their imaginations through her choice of vocabulary--the princess has a "voracious" appetite, she's "consumed" by fear, the wily frog prince plots to "contrive" a meeting--adding interest through words and context. Visually, the tale's characters are represented as simplistic cartoon figures, but the serviceable illustrations feature a variety of scenic backdrops, playing with textures and suggesting varied watercolor and cutout effects. Sinclair helpfully includes a "How to Read this Book Aloud" page of instructions in the back of the book, encouraging readers to enjoy the rhythmic pattern of the text. A well-known Grimm's fairy tale is given a playful new interpretation through rhyming couplets and appealing word pictures in this charming read-aloud, read-along book for ages 5 to 9.

Kirkus Reviews