Review: The Poodle and the Pea by Charlotte Guillain

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

In Animal Fairy Tales, beautiful illustrations and simple text retell classic fairy tales from a new perspective: all the characters are animals! This book, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea, tells the story of the Poodle and the Pea, in which a lost dog is revealed to be a princess after a servant has a good idea.
From the Animal Fairy Tales series. For ages 3-7.
* Beautiful, fun illustrations
* Simple text appropriate for both early independent readers and parents reading to a child
* New twists on traditional tales
About the Author:
Charlotte Guillain has written nearly 100 books, both fiction and nonfiction. Some of her best-selling titles include the 'Space' and 'Growing Up' series. Before writing children's books, Charlotte worked as a bookseller, a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, and an editor.
About the Illustrator:
Illustrator Dawn Beacon lives with her husband and son in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. During the winter months she loves snowboarding with her family at their local resorts, while summertime finds her biking and gardening. Inspiration for her artwork is found directly out her back door with the abundance of wildlife and breathtaking views of the Vail Valley. 

MY TAKE:
I remember liking the original version of this story as a child, so I gave this one a try.

In The Poodle and the Pea, Prince Barking's parents want him to get married, but he doesn't like any of the princesses presented. Soon, though, a girl appears at the castle who claims to be a princess. Is she really a princess?

The idea of remaking this story by using poodles as characters is cute. I think this will appeal to a lot of kids, especially those who like dogs. However, I think this works best if the reader is not familiar with the story. Despite the different species used, it feels to much like the original so there wasn't any thrill for me.

The illustration style wasn't really my thing, but I did like the coloring. It reminded me of oil paintings a little bit, so while reading, I imagined that I was looking at a series of paintings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Heinemann-Raintree for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Poodle and the Pea is on February 1, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The coloring is pretty.
2. Kids unfamiliar with the story might enjoy this.
3. It's a good, quick bedtime reading material.

THE BAD:

1. Those familiar with the original may not find enough variation to satisfy them.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The servant put a pea in a bed and piled blankets on top of it.

READ IT IF:

1. Your child has never read The Princess and the Pea.
2. Your child likes poodles.
3. You like reading new versions of old fairytales.

RATING:


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