The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale

by Brenda Williams, Sophie Fatus (Illustrator), Juliet Stevenson (Narrated by)

Overview

Make math fun with this clever STEM twist on "The Princess and the Pea"! Numbers scattered throughout engage arithmetic whizzes with the story. Discover the hidden "mathematical" pattern by adding the digits together, then quiz yourself with the counting questions at the end! 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782857860
Publisher:	Barefoot Books
Publication date:	04/01/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	4 - 9 Years

About the Author

Brenda Williams is the author of over four hundred published poems. A former primary school teacher, she has also written many educational articles and books. Brenda was born in the West Midlands, and now lives in Wiltshire, England.

Sophie Fatus is a full-time artist who is known for her exuberant illustrations. She was born in Paris into a family of artists and now lives in Florence with her partner and two cats.

Juliet Stevenson is a stage and screen actress with many credits to her name, including Truly, Madly, Deeply; Emma; Bend It Like Beckham and Mona Lisa Smile. She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role in Death and the Maiden.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-4- Three princes, Primo, Secundo, and Terzo, are in need of brides, but only the oldest must find a real princess-one fit to be the next queen. When two bedraggled young women arrive during storms, Secundo and Terzo become enamored of them, and marry them even though they are not quite real -they do not feel the gold peas that the queen has placed under many mattresses. Finally a real princess's sleep is disturbed by the presence of a solitary pea. The king and queen have parted with all of their gold, but that solitary pea provides them with a fresh source of income. The story, referred to as a traditional tale rather than attributed to Hans Christian Andersen, is liberally laced with numbers, all highlighted by a different font. Children can count the windows in the castle, add up the number of servants, determine how much gold is remaining, and perform other tasks suggested at the back of the book. The text flows nicely and the illustrations, done in acrylics and collaged papers, are intricately detailed and will invite children to pore over them repeatedly. A nice twist on the original with opportunities for readers to interact with the text.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

A fleshed-out "Princess and the Pea" gives readers an opportunity to practice their counting skills. This time three princes, Primo, Secundo and Terzo, are searching for mates. Their castle employs one butler, two footmen, three maids and so on. There are also two counting houses, holding the three bags of gold that will go to the sons upon their marriages, and the queen's secret stash of nine special peas. Terzo and Secundo quickly find brides, and while they don't pass the pea-under-the-mattress test, it's OK because they are not in line for the throne. Luckily Primo's choice passes. And those peas? They do more than simply disturb the sleep of princesses-there's a second ending devoted entirely to them. Fatus's acrylics are cartoon fun with details galore, including collaged papers that add texture. She peoples her illustrations with round-headed, pointy-nosed, skinny-limbed royalty whose smiles seem permanent. While the lengthy text does not quite match the skill-level being highlighted, this is still a fun take on an old classic. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews