Sensitive Much?

Grades 6-9

Who would’ve guessed that being sensitive enough to feel a pea under 20 mattresses means you lose the contest? In Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguie, that’s exactly what happens to one unfortunate princess vying for Prince Richard’s attention. The final project for my myth and folklore in children’s literature class involved reading and critiquing about 15 different versions of “The Princess and the Pea.” I didn’t have enough time to read the novel for the project, but I had become so enamored with the tale that I wanted to read this version. I’m SO glad I did!

The protagonist in the story is Violet—named after her violet eyes. She is a level headed and hard-working 17-year-old farmer’s daughter in the kingdom of Cambria. One night, an accident brings Prince Richard to Violet’s family farm, where he must be nursed back to health. Well, within this time period, both Prince Richard and Violet fall in love with each other. Unfortunately, Prince Richard was just on a quest (given by his parents) to find a princess to be his wife (the thought alone makes him sick). Since Violet is not a princess, does this mean they are not meant to be?

Once healthy again, Prince Richard travels back to the castle to watch the proceedings for the contest that will determine the most sensitive princess and his wife. Violet soon ends up at the castle competing for the prince’s hand in marriage—ok, I’m inserting a super short back story here: Cambria’s original royal family had been murdered, but the baby princess’s body had never been found…Violet is supposedly that baby.

I had a paragraph talking about the connections that were made between this book and the original tale (feel free to ask me about them still), but then I realized that a more important aspect of the book would be to talk about Violet's character. She is very down to earth and likable--her insecurities and strengths are revealed throughout the novel--and make her a relatable character for teen girls. Some of her insecurities stem from her not only feeling like an outsider, but an impostor (princess) at the castle--hmmm...makes me think high school. At the same time, the reader knows she possesses such positive qualities--and at one point another princess gets up and speaks out admiringly on behalf of Violet.

The contests appear to be ridiculous on the surface, but the reader (at least I did) soon becomes suspicious that there is more to these “sensitivity tests” than meets the eye—and with Violet’s friend, Princess Genevieve forming similar suspicions, the reader is supported in her/his inferring. The final contest is between Violet and Celeste (the princess from the royal family that killed Violet’s) and it involves 20 mattresses and you guessed it, one pea.

This retelling is a fun adventure and sweet romance between two very likable characters.

Viguie, D. (2010). Violet eyes. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Cinderella Is So Yesterday

Books range from grades K-6

There are so many different versions of Cinderella that it’s easy to come up with a comparative literature unit just on that story alone. But, what if you happen to get sick of Cinderella? There, I said it…someone had to. Throughout the years, many authors have decided to try their hand at retellings of traditional tales. And with much success, there are authors who have made it big…Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Gail Levine’s Ella Enchanted, and Disney's versions of the many fairy tales out there.

Some of the readings for my graduate classes were of different versions of folktales or fairy tales. The two most prominent that come to mind are Lon Po Po by Ed Young (China’s Red Riding Hood)—(grades K-3) and Snow White In New York by Fiona French (grades 3-6).

Lon Po Po is brilliant simply with the illustrations alone. I remember my assignment for class involved finding the hidden wolf throughout the pages of illustrations. This added a layer of depth to the story making for an even darker plot in some ways. I really enjoyed turning a critical eye to the illustrations.

Snow White in New York takes a more mature approach to the story, taking place in the 1920’s with art deco flair. The illustrations play a big role in this title too. The sharp lines and angles of the illustrations make New York come alive. Snow White still has her evil step mom, but seven jazz musicians who want her to be their singer save her. And it wouldn’t be the height of the New York social scene if Snow White weren’t poisoned by a cherry in her cocktail; or her falling in love with a newspaper reporter.

Retellings will be the theme for this week, so stay tuned…

Young, E. (1996). Lon po po. New York, NY: Puffin.

French, Fiona. (1990). Snow white in new york. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA.