An edition of The Penguin and the Pea (2004)
The Penguin and the Pea
By Janet Perlman
Publish Date
September 1, 2004
Publisher
Kids Can Press, Ltd.
Language
eng
Pages
32
Description:
Janet Perlman retells this Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale from the perspective of penguins. Perlman’s version maintains the structure of the original story, but adds some creative details, including a squinty-eyed, lip-pursing and suspicious penguin queen, who places a cabbage under a flimsy mattress for the princess to sleep on. This makes fun of the original story’s celebration of the princess’s delicate physical sensitivity. Perlman’s illustration style, familiar from her work with the National Film Board of Canada, lends comical incongruity to this fractured fairy tale. The courting penguin couple are seen enjoying chess, shadow puppets, music and dancing. Smaller details such as penguin chess pieces make the tale even more whimsical, and penguin-related puns such as “rainflippers” and “lived flappily ever after” will be appreciated by young children.