The Prince's New Pet
By Brian Anderson; Brian Anderson (Illustrator)
(Roaring Brook Press, Hardcover, 9781596433571, 40pp.)
Publication Date: December 6, 2011
Categories: Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.), Holidays & Celebrations - Birthdays
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The Prince's birthday was just like every other day in his father's kingdom-drab, gloomy, and completely colorless. Years ago the Prince's father had banned all color from the kingdom, so the Prince now received the same gray gifts wrapped in the same gray paper and ate the same gray birthday cake, while outside gray skies loomed. But when a special package arrives at his party, the Prince is surprised to see a very unusual creature emerge. Will his new pet bring a splash of color to the kingdom?
Brian Anderson is the author and illustrator of the Roaring Brook Press title, Nighty Night, Sleepy Sleeps, as well as the creator of the runaway-hit comic strip, Dog eat Doug, which he began in 2004 as a webcomic and now appears in over 150 newspapers and is read by millions. He lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area.
“With delightfully glum artwork, some bounding action (helped by a few comics-style compositions), a few sincerely scary moments, and a wooglefoof that’s so feisty and adorable that kids will want to snuggle him right off the pages, this picture book strikes an appealing Tim Burtonesque chord of dark deviousness and wide-eyed wonder.”--Booklist “A furry, colorful creature brings life to a black-and-white, Edward Gorey-esque kingdom. After reading, invite students to create their own monochromatic tales.”--Scholastic Instructor "Anderson (Nighty Night, Sleepy Sleeps) channels Jules Feiffer and Norton Juster with a dollop of Roald Dahl, cranking up the tension with moment-by-moment panel sequences, particularly in the climactic events that have the prince and color catcher teetering on the edge of an abyss. " --Publishers Weekly “Careful readers will chuckle at the wordplay. They may also wonder who sent the package to the prince in the first place, and they will cheer when happiness is restored in the kingdom. Long live the wooglefoof!” --School Library Journal “Creepy, kooky and deftly delivered, this dark story offers a bright ending for readers who might think they’ve just outgrown fairy tales.” --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
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