Reviews: (by author)

Grey, Mini. The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be. New York: Knopf, 2003, $14.95. ISBN 0-375-82828-2.

Mini Grey has written a delightful twist on a classic tale. The traditional story of the Princess and the Pea involves the search for a mate, marriage and happily ever after. The story line includes an unwed Prince who travels throughout the known world to find his princess but is ultimately unsuccessful. Finally, a woman claiming to be a true princess shows up on his doorstep, and after being put to the test, is deemed worthy and becomes the wife of the Prince. But the test, to feel a pea under twenty mattresses, would be impossible. So how DID she pass the test? In The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-To-Be, we find an answer. Told from the point of view of the pea used to test the princess, we are told of the pea's birth, its being as the special pea for the test, and the very important role it plays in arranging a royal marriage. The result is a "happily ever after" ending.

Illustrated by the author, the theme of vegetables, especially peas, weaves throughout the story, emphasizing the importance of the peas. An enchanting two-page spread of the rejected princesses the prince met on his travels gives a view of princesses that are "too tidy," or "too energetic." One surprisingly Barbie looking princess is labeled as "too pink." One has to wonder what the author is hinting at when she states, "He met princesses of all shapes and sizes, with a wide range of hobbies and interests. But none of them seemed like a Real Princess. Somehow they were not right for him." Are they not "real" princesses because they are not the right for the prince? In a further twist of plot, in Grey's illustrations we see the future bride of the prince not as royalty, but as an industrious gardener and as a woodchopper. If she is a princess by birth, she is a commoner by choice.
Regardless, this book is an entertaining look at an old tale from a new point of view, adding enjoyment and a touch of reality to this beloved tale. How does the woman feel the pea? One has to read to find out.

Highly recommended
Tammy Mielke, 11/03

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