Peter Bently and Claire Powell really are an awesome combo, arent they?!

Claire's illustrations in this are filled with character - love a book that has heaps to spot, and most importantly... so do little listeners.

Old rules are made to be broken, thankfully. And that's exactly what Prince Fredwin realises... with a little help from a princess (who does play a neat little trick on him involving a pea and a large number of mattresses).
Filled with charm, wit and the wonderful message of follow your heart. What joy.

Review to come next week on my blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

How could I resist this one? Claire Powell doing the illustrations? Instead of a princess it is a prince? LGBT+ story? YESSSS! 

In this one we meet Prince Fredwin (yes really that is his name and yes it made me laugh), he is a prince and he is about to turn 21 years old. Yup, we are not getting young princes and princesses we have adult ones in this one and that just made me so happy. I was thinking that the two characters on the cover were the dads, but no, they are the princes. I already was rooting for these two to get together (sorry, I just saw a ship and knew this one had to sail) but Fredwin first has to understand that rules are meant to be broken. What rule am I talking about? The one that says that princes have to marry princesses. Yup. Old-fashioned of course. 

And what happens next when a princess appears in the stormy night? Yes, just like that, as if it was magic! Well, you see the title right? Yup. But what the guys don't know and our princess knows is that she heard the guy talking about the pea. And I was just in stitches at what our princess did next. To be honest, I would have done the same to Fredwin. Sorry, not sorry. It was just perfect and it got better and better with each page. Until it all BOOM! After that it was just even more perfection and I was just giggling in delight and throwing around colourful confetti. 

The illustrations are a FEAST. For real, I could just keep on going back and forth through the book to see them once again. I just LOVE the use of colours, especially how everything is a freaking rainbow. From the mattresses to the parade to the details in a photograph to Zac who is wearing a rainbow vest. It is perfect. I loved the character designs. 

I would highly recommend this book to all! This was just utterly fun and definitely a favourite of mine this year.

In a Nutshell: A sweet picture book twisting the fairy tale into a modern and inclusive version. Great intent, pretty decent plot execution though a bit rushed at the end, excellent illustrations. Recommended, though it would help if kids know the original as well.

Plot Preview:
Prince Fredwin and Prince Zac are best friends. Fredwin is soon turning twenty-one and hence has to follow the family tradition and get wed. Unfortunately, as he is a prince, he cannot marry anyone except a “genuine, proper, and perfect princess.” Zac suggests changing the family rule and following his heart, but Fredwin isn't sure if he can change the way things have been since forever.
When Princess Ardwenna seeks shelter at the palace to escape the heavy rains, Fredwin feels like he should capitalise on the chance and propose. But how to check if she is actually a princess? You know what happens next.
Rather… you THINK you know what happens next.


As you might have guessed from the title, this book takes the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, “The Princess and the Pea” and gives it a somewhat contemporary spin. “Somewhat” because there’s no way a modern prince would feel compelled to marry at just twenty-one. “Contemporary” because of the funky outfits and the pizza takeaways – so much fun to see pizzas in a fairy tale!
I loved this unusual retelling of (IMHO) one of the silliest fairy tales. It does much better than the original, not by eliminating the pea but by incorporating it into the storyline and then tossing out the illogical premise in an utterly logical way. However, I enjoyed this aspect better because I know the original fairy tale and found this a more sensible story in comparison. Kids might still enjoy this modern retake, but they will not appreciate it as a superior retelling unless they know the classic version.
The cover makes it very clear that this story is LGBTQ-friendly. However, I wish there had been some build-up to the relationship. Of course, we aren’t reading a romance, and a picture book has only SO much space. But the story begins by openly declaring the two princes as best friends, and Fredwin even proposes to Ardwenna after the successful completion of his pea test, but then there’s a sudden segue and she suggests that there is someone better suited to Fredwin. The only rationale for this declaration is Zac’s use of “Dearest Fred”, which is too farfetched, especially when she didn’t even interact with Zac directly at any point prior to that. (Also odd that she knows Zac’s pronoun preference of they/them when it hasn’t been brought up in the story at all.) All this means that the final few pages feel too rushed and unconvincing. It is still a cute ending, but I wish we could have seen a more gentle build-up to the transition from best friend to romantic partner, perhaps even got some hint about it at the start.
The story is written in rhythmic prose, often following the AABBCC pattern. This makes the paragraphs look chunky, but they are still easy to read. The rhymes follow the meter perfectly on most pages. There is alliteration and onomatopoeia in the verses, and also many action words and expressions. The text would thus make the book a great readaloud option.
The illustrations are absolutely cute and quirky. There is a lovely rainbow vibe on every page, and the bright splash of colours make the book seem vibrant and delightful. The white background of the pages makes the hues stand out even more. The detailing in the background is as outstanding as the characters in the foreground, including Fredwin’s dog. I loved the rainbow-coloured mattresses!
All in all, I enjoyed most of the story and would even have given this all the stars had the final few pages been better. But the switcheroo of feelings was too abrupt for my liking. Kids however are easier to satisfy, so I hope that this funny story with its eye-catching graphics works better for them. As per Amazon, the book is aimed at readers aged 3-5 years.
3.5 stars, rounding up for the illustrations.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for providing the DRC of “The Princes and the Pea” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.