Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut - Hardcover

Margaret Atwood

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1898000654 ISBN 13: 9781898000655

Publisher: Barefoot Books Ltd, 1995

Synopsis

Presenting Princess Prunella. Proud, prissy, and pretty, and unhappily very spoiled, she lives in a pink palace with her pinheaded parents, her three plump pussycats, and her prize puppy dog, Pug. Her passion? Her very own person. Her aspiration? To marry a pinheaded prince with piles of pin money, who will praise and pamper her. From Margaret Atwood--the novelist, poet, short story writer and author of such contemporary bestsellers as The Handmaid's Tale and The Robber Bride--comes a modern fairy tale with a classic message. Illustrated with elegant humor by Maryann Kovalski, Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut revels in the smart-alecky humor of its impertinent heroine and an alliteration of p's that gives the story a tongue-twisting energy with surprises at every turn. Children, and adults who love reading to children, will love reading princess prunella in the same way that they love reading Dr. Suess for the sheer fun of the language. But there's something more, too, as a born storyteller creates, with the mere choice of a word, an indelibly lively portrait of a spoiled little girl who is about to get her much-deserved comeuppance. Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club.

53,000 copies in print.

About this title

About the Author

Margaret Atwood is best known as the author of more than twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Her most recent novel, The Robber Bride, was published in 1993, and her newest collection of poetry, Morning in the Burned House, was published in 1995. She has written three other children's books, Anna's Pet (with Joyce Barkhouse), Up in the Tree, and For the Birds. She lives in Toronto, Canada.

Aryann Kovalski has written and illustrated over twenty-five highly acclaimed books, including The Wheels on the Bus, Jingle Bells, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and Pizza for Breakfast. Maryann Kovalski makes her home in Toronto, Canada.

From Publishers Weekly

Canadian literary icon Atwood takes a break from serious fiction and cuts loose with this deliciously silly romp. Preoccupied with her own prettiness, Prunella, a positive pill of a princess, passes her time peering into a pocket mirror to see her perfect dimples; planning nuptials with a prince who has piles of pin money; and producing pandemonium for her pained parents, pets and the parlormaids paid to pick up after her. She gets her comeuppance when she provokes a "wrinkly-wristed" wise woman, who places on the princess's proboscis a purple peanut that won't go away until she performs three good deeds. All's well that ends well, however, and prudence wins out over pride. The fun is infectious, and greatly amplified by Kovalski's (Pizza for Breakfast) droll illustrations. It's also a particularly pleasing read-aloud, as Atwood's outrageous alliteration ("for supper she fed Prunella some parsley and paprika soup, a pile of potted pigeon and pickerel pancakes, and some pepper and porridge preserve, on a pretty plate patterned with pendulous poppies") proves irresistible. Perfectly peachy. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barefoot Books Ltd
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1898000654
• ISBN 13: 9781898000655
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Maryann Kovalski