The Princess and the Pea By: Dorothy Duntze

This is a retelling of the Danish fairytale first published in 1835 by Hans Christian Andersen. The story has also been known as The Real Princess and How to Tell a True Princess. Andersen reported having heard the story has a child. However, there is no record of it in the Danish oral history. The story tells of a princess who is in search of a princess to wed. As he searches from kingdom to kingdom he is unable to find a woman who meets his high standards of what a true princess should be. Then one night there is a knock at the door and a woman standing in the rain says that she is a princess and wishes to have shelter for the night. The Queen does not believe that this woman is a true princess and devices a plan to prove whether or not she is truthful. She has her servants stack mattresses so high that one needs a ladder to get into the bed and then places a pea under the bottom mattress. The next morning the woman's royalty is proven as she complains of being horribly bruised by something in her bed. Soon the Prince and this True Princess are wed. The illustrations in this picture book are reminiscent of folk art. The story is kept short and to the point. It makes a fine addition to any collection of fairy tales.