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The Frog Princess
Forced to marry an ugly frog, the youngest son of the Czar is astounded to learn that the frog is really the beautiful princess Vasilisa the Wise.
- GenresFantasyFairy Tales
12 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2017
Go shoot your arrows into the air, the king orders his three sons. Wherever they fall, marry the closest woman. Or whatever.
I don't know if it was this version or my mood, but I really noticed more than I usually do with this particular tale what a jerk the king is. First he makes his sons marry women entirely at random, then he devises tests for his new daughters-in-law of their domestic skills. If sewing and baking were so important to him why didn't he have the tests first and pick women who were good at them? He's totally rude about their short-comings, too.
I did like this as a longer story with an East of the Sun type addendum where the prince has to go find his lost wife. Most versions I've read ended with the frog revealed to be a princess and everyone happy.
Bilibin's illustrations are always lovely, although the print quality on my edition was a bit low.
I don't know if it was this version or my mood, but I really noticed more than I usually do with this particular tale what a jerk the king is. First he makes his sons marry women entirely at random, then he devises tests for his new daughters-in-law of their domestic skills. If sewing and baking were so important to him why didn't he have the tests first and pick women who were good at them? He's totally rude about their short-comings, too.
I did like this as a longer story with an East of the Sun type addendum where the prince has to go find his lost wife. Most versions I've read ended with the frog revealed to be a princess and everyone happy.
Bilibin's illustrations are always lovely, although the print quality on my edition was a bit low.
October 31, 2019
When Prince Ivan finds himself married to a frog, he becomes an object of scorn to his two older brothers and their wives. But when his frog-wife outperforms her sisters-in-law at the tasks set by the Tsar, and then attends a feast as a beautiful young woman, the prince knows that he is married to a sorceress, and he finds and burns her frog-skin. But his rash action does not free his wife, the enchanted Vasilisa the Wise, and he must set off on a quest to free her from Koschei-the-Deathless, seeking the help of the formidable witch, Baba Yaga, along the way...
Taken from the work of poet and folklorist Alexandr Pushkin, who retold many traditional tales, The Frog Princess is part of the rich Russian folk-tradition, in which the characters of Baba Yaga, Prince Ivan, and Vasilisa frequently appear. This edition was printed in the former Soviet Union, and features the gorgeous illustrations of Ivan Biliban, whose folk-art is instantly recognizable. Visually stunning and eminently readable, these editions are a delight!
Taken from the work of poet and folklorist Alexandr Pushkin, who retold many traditional tales, The Frog Princess is part of the rich Russian folk-tradition, in which the characters of Baba Yaga, Prince Ivan, and Vasilisa frequently appear. This edition was printed in the former Soviet Union, and features the gorgeous illustrations of Ivan Biliban, whose folk-art is instantly recognizable. Visually stunning and eminently readable, these editions are a delight!
September 9, 2017
There is a Prince named Ivan and he has two older brothers. All three brothers shoot arrows in different directions with hopes of finding their brides. Ivan’s arrow landed in the mouth of a frog, and that frog turned into a princess at night. This was a little bit of a different story for me, although I still enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews