The Frog Prince, Continued

Scieszka, John. The Frog Prince, Continued. Illust. Steve Johnson. New York: Viking, 1991.

Ever wonder what really happens after "happily ever after?" Because this is Jon Scieszka, you can guess this story isn't going to play by the book. For the princess and the transformed Frog Prince, the aftermath of ever-after isn't pretty: The prince's frog-like habits annoy the princess to no end, he complains that she never wants to go out to the pond anymore, and generally the two drive each other crazy. The Frog Prince eventually decides to set out into the forest in search of a spell-wielding witch who will transform him back into a frog. But he finds more than bargained for in the forest, and is soon wishing he could return home. Steve Johnson's textured, angular but always humorous paintings are a perfect match for the dry wit of the narrative. The illustrations get darker and darker as the Frog Prince travels deeper into the forest, but they always provide a wealth of detail and visual clues to help the reader to figure out the references to other fairy tales.