School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Eldon and Petunia live in a sty on the castle grounds. As they watch the royal carriage pass by, he dreams of living the princely life because ".princes live in luxury, and they always get the girl. What's not to like about that?" Fairy Miranda appears and says she can break Eldon's spell. All he has to do is kiss his true love. He is thrilled; Petunia is skeptical. As the porker sets off to find his true love, she follows behind. He tries to sneak a kiss from cinder girl Ella, Lady Aurora at the spinning wheel, and Mother Goose herself. In all cases, his advances are badly received. As he's looking at his reflection in the lake and bemoaning his fate, he doesn't see Petunia sneaking up behind him. Her kiss startles him and he falls into the mud hole. When he asks what that was for, she responds, "You just don't get it, do you?" It takes him a while, but he does get it and ventures back to the sty where Petunia is waiting. Fairy Miranda, it turns out, was looking for a frog, not a hog. The large acrylic illustrations are perfect for the story. The animal faces are expressive and the backgrounds are lush. This is a great read-aloud that cheerfully fractures many fairy tales all at once.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Confusing frog with hog, a fairy tells swine Eldon about a magic spell that will turn him into a prince after he kisses his "true love"; turns out, she's right under his snout. Readers will be tickled by the many fairy-tale cameo appearances (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) and the suffusion of piggy puns. The comical illustrations feature fittingly skewed perspectives. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Bardhan-Quallen's latest shows the amusing results of a fairy's poor memory on a pig with big dreams. Eldon and Petunia watch the carriages drive by each morning, Eldon always wishing he were royalty and Petunia never understanding how he misses what is right in front of him. So when Fairy Miranda shows up offering a way to break the spell placed on the "Hog Prince," Eldon scours the kingdom for girls to kiss while Petunia scoffs. After three kisses gone awry (great fodder for animated storytime readers), Petunia loses her patience and kisses Eldon herself, but he remains clueless. Only when he is forced to carriage-watch alone does he understand that it is Petunia who is his true love. Wolff's acrylic illustrations fit the fairy-tale mold, with bright colors and simple details. His characters leave even the youngest readers without a doubt as to their thoughts and feelings. In a market filled with fairy-tale remakes, this one stands out for its read-aloud potential, references to other beloved characters and timeless messagebe happy with who you are. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
