Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince!)

K-Gr 2—This clever variation on the classic "Frog Prince" features a modern girl wearing a red ball cap, a striped T-shirt, purple pants, and red sneakers. She is carrying a basketball, ready to shoot hoops, when a little green frog with a crown on his head wants a kiss to become a prince. When he puckers up his big froggy lips, Ella just puts him in her pocket and continues on her way. She would much rather have a talking frog than be a princess (as the frog promises her) who must study all day and wear uncomfortable clothes. They play together until a courtier takes the frog away in a golden coach pulled by white horses. Two weeks later the frog is back, having negotiated less homework and more time to play. A kiss from a friend will help him escape his frog body, so Ella kisses him. Kerrigan saves the transformation for the back endpapers. As a boy and girl go swimming, a crown rests on one towel, a red ball cap on the other. The uncluttered artwork uses a pastel palette and makes good use of white space. Whether read independently or shared at storytime, this breezy tale of a frog who comes to value being a boy as much as being a prince will elicit smiles.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN