The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin Review

Manufacturer: Puffin
Author(s): Donna Jo Napoli

ISBN: 0140371516 EAN: 9780140371512
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 160
Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Retail Price: ~~$5.99~~
Online Sale Price: $5.99
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Having been turned into a frog by a hag, a frog-prince makes the best of his new life as he mates, raises a family, and instills a new kind of thinking into his frog family.

User Submitted The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin Reviews

August 5, 2008
Charming...The Adults Enjoyed it Too!
This is a charming book, my husband read this aloud to our 6 year old and we all enjoyed hearing the updated version of the classic story of The Frog Prince.

The story was sweet and funny and the language was amusing. I don't know how well I would have done with it if I had been the reader, but my husband really got into it...the frog prince has a bit of a speech impediment.

We have read our daughter many, many, many books that she enjoyed and we did not but this one was a hit with old and young alike.

I also like that it's a chapter book with pictures, our daughter was reluctant to move away from chapter books with pictures so this was perfect for us. It's a sophisticated enough story with pictures to add to the enjoyment for her.

September 23, 2006
De Fawg Pin
This was a charming story, and very well written. It was very funny, too. I was not irritated by Pin's speech, as Jade always understands, and repeats what he says in a normal tongue. I loved this story, until it came to the end when a princess picks up Pin and kisses him, transforming him into a prince again. That ruins the story, and it didn't have to end that way. I would have rated this 5 stars if it had not ended like that.

It really should have won a Newbery Award if Donna hadn't added that ending.

April 13, 2006
Prince of the Pond
The Pond.
There is a prince named Pin who has something happen to him. He gets turned into a frog by a hag. Then a frog comes by and becomes his friend. Pin calls this frog Jade.
Some events in this story are Pin the frog doesn't want to have his babies to get eaten. He doesn't stay at the pond so he goes to a well instead. Where there are no water snakes no bullfrogs and no water scorpions and good bugs to eat.

Something I learned from this book is somethings that may be important to us may not always be important to frogs. Some frogs may have the same resemblance as us like we both need water to survive. A message that the author might be sending is that we both don't always do everything the dame and probably never will.

What I Love about this book is that there are a lot of outside activities and gorgeous ponds. The amount of sunny days reminds me of a beautiful summer day. It makes me happy when I read this book. I think that if your

July 28, 2004
Hysterical, Sweet, Informative -- Wonderful!
I am agog at the reviews that complain about Pin's speech being annoying, or the biology lesson feel of the book. My kids (5 and 7) and I loved this poignant story of acceptance: acceptance of others' differences, of one's changing circumstances. They laughed themselves silly as Pin outwitted the pond's predators. I was incredibly touched by the lessons learned by both Pin and Jade as they got to know each other better. We never found the information the story conveyed to be heavy-handed or intrusive. It is one of the most imaginative books I've read in a long time. Beautiful illustrations and beautiful characters.

August 24, 2003
Donna does better...
Now, this was not a terrible book, but it wasn't great eithier. It starts when Jade, a frog who tells the story, discovers a strange new frog. It's a prince who has been transformed by an old hag. We never learn why, so that bugged me. Jade calls the prince "Pin", for the prince cannot speak right with his new tongue, which can be annoying sometimes. I found the pictures to be a nice addition. Overall, a cute story that later veers away and becomes serious...which ruins the whole thing.

March 12, 2003
It's hard to be green...
The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known As De Fawg Pin is a sweet, hilarious story for the young and the young-at-heart. I'm one of the latter, as I was almost hysterical with the giggles at the very silliness of a lisping frog. Although I do not care for amphibians at all, I found the illustrations excellent and learned a thing or two since they also have a slightly biology-lesson feel. The story also provided facts about frogs that will interest children.

The story is narrated by a female frog who befriends our hapless hero, Pin. The basic tale of The Frog Prince is maintained, but only as shell. The real story revolves around Pin's adaptation to his new world and the compromises of his human and frog selves.

Donna Jo Napoli did a wonderful job of creating just the right mood for each scene - light and carefree when the frogs are playing, a little menacing when the mean old bullfrog comes, and particularly sweet when Pin is determined to save all his hundreds of tadpole children. A bit of the fantastic, the scientific, and the winsome. Also charming is the sequel, Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace.

January 16, 2003
wonderful story
My husband and I have read this book several times to our children, starting over a year ago. The book disappeared for awhile but we had much excitement when it turned up last week. The kids are 4 and 5 years old and they have loved the story from the start. The five-year-old picks up on the emotional content of the story; the four-year-old loves the action scenes.

When reading it aloud, we stumble over the references to the "mating hole," but the children don't notice anything missing when we use the word "well" instead. Now that our daughter is reading, the gig may be up.

I love this book and am dismayed that Napoli's other books may be for an older audience.

April 18, 2002
What a beautiful story
My ten year old and I loved this book and could not stop reading it. I was touched by the metaphor for life, cold blooded frogs learn to love and be a family. How deeply Pin loved his wife and family. How patient Jade was with his speech difficulties with his giant frog tongue. What fun it was to learn about the life of the pond and frogs in a way that was incidental to the story. This story was a powerful package of life, love, and facts of pond life, and how making room in your heart for love leads to extraordinary events. The drawings were a wonderful preview of what might happen next.

March 29, 2000
Dissenting opinion
Unlike most of the other reviewers here, neither I nor my nine-year-old enjoyed this book. The premise is good, but the family-values morality is heavy-handed and the writing limps along.

October 15, 1999
We loved The Fawg Pin!
My 6-year-old daughter and I couldn't wait to get into bed every night to read what was going to happen to Pin and Jade. We would talk about it during the day and dive into bed at night to start our adventure. She loved the way Pin talked. Just thinking about it can set her off giggling. We also learned so much. Just the other day she asked me if I had known something about frogs that we learned in the book. The bittersweet ending was a little bit difficult for her, but after Charlotte's Web it was a breeze. And how thrilled she was to find out that the adventure continues in Jimmy, The Pickpocket of the Palace!

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