A hilarious and witty send-up of The Frog Prince, and a reminder that not everything you read is true, Prince Ribbit by Jonathan Emmett & illustrated by Poly Bernatene is a whimsical new fairy tale perfect for bedtime, story time, or any time.
Enchanted prince or just a plain old frog? Pucker up, princesses! Theres only one way to find out.
Fairy tales are just stories, or so Princess Martha believes. But when her sisters meet a talking frog, they’re convinced that giving him the royal treatment will turn him into Prince Charming. After all, that’s what happens in their story books. Martha isn’t so sure. The more she sees of Prince Ribbit, the more suspicious she becomes. Armed with the facts, Martha sets out to expose Prince Ribbit and prove to her sisters that just because it’s in a book doesn’t mean it’s true. But before The End, Princess Martha might just learn that lesson for herself!
It’s always the sign of a good children’s book, I think, when it can make an adult laugh. And laugh, I did! Prince Ribbit had me chuckling from the very beginning, with Martha’s obvious eye roll and the smug frog’s enjoyment of the royal treatment.
The illustrations are so beautiful — both adding to the story through nuanced expressions on each character’s face, to the little details you really only notice when you study each page. A two-page spread featuring a collage of fairy tales that Martha reads is exceptionally well wrought.
And even when you think you know where the story goes, the author keeps you on your toes — and laughing once again — because, after all, “just because it’s in a book doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Prince Ribbit is in stores now.
Novel Novice 
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