The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas
By Tony Wilson
Illustrations by Sue deGennaro
(Peachtree Publications, 2009)

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas is a bit of a remake of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. Actually, the prince from that story is the brother of the prince from this story.

Prince Henrik wanted to marry a real princess - as long as she loved camping, hockey, and was the outdoor type. To thin the herd of interested suitors, Prince Henrik went one step further and planned to use an entire bag of frozen peas under a thin camping mattress for each real princess that stayed over. His top choice quickly went sour as she was too sensitive about everything and spent all of her time being sensitive. His experience was such that he gave up on a real princess and decided instead to marry an unreal princess - the opposite of a real princess.

So Prince Henrik enjoyed a lovely day with one of his old friends, Pippa. They played hockey, rode horses, and had a great time. When Prince Henrik used the bag of frozen peas and a camping mat on Pippa, he didn't hear a peep. The surprise ending is very satisfying.

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas is a fun side story to an original fairy tale. If your child is unfamiliar with The Princess and the Pea, I would read that first to set up the whole princess and pea theme.

Young readers will enjoy the modern look and fun illustrations of The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas.

KID KANDY:

Can you sleep on a mattress that hides a packet of frozen peas?

Let's put this to the test, shall we? I know we keep a specific packet of peas in the freezer for icing injuries. It has been used, thawed, and refrozen so many times I doubt one would enjoy cooked peas from that pack!

Designate one packet for your ice pack. Play with the bag a bit. How does it feel? Hold it against a shoulder or knee. Does it cool you off?

Just before bed, tuck the pea packet under the mattress. Or to be fair, dig out a sleeping bag and tuck in under the bag. That's about as thick as a camping pad.

Good morning. Did you sleep well? Was the packet of peas lumpy? Did you wake up with them smushed and warm?

Are you a real or an unreal princess (or prince)?


It's all in fun. You can grow up and marry anyone you want to.