School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-- A story about a princess who runs away rather than be married to flabby, ugly, and horrible Prince Grindstone. Her vain father, who loves hats, has offered his daughter's hand in exchange for a new idea in hat design and Grindstone has won. When Abigail leaves, she shows little more resourcefulness than her father, since she wears her nightgown. Fortunately, as she sobs in the forest, she meets a kindly giant lizard who creates a hat from nature, the most beautiful the princess has ever seen, and he sends her home with it. In the morning, the king, delighted with this creation, declares he has made a mistake. The lizard's hat is superior, and the princess must marry him. The princess's tear trickles onto his head, he becomes a handsome prince, and they marry. The paintings are colorful but unexceptional fairy tale illustrations with many romantically swirling tendrils of plants, hair, and ribbons. They are perhaps slightly better than the trite story line and shallow characters. --Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In an original story derivative of a number of folk tales, a king who wears only hats declares that the prince who designs the best hat shall marry his daughter. Almost married to the ugliest suitor, the princess is rescued by a lizard who designs the ultimate hat. Vibrant illustrations full of flourishes accompany the smoothly told tale, but the resolution jars, lacking the simple logic of true folklore. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5-7. Hang on to your chapeau! The king prefers hats to crowns. When his royal hatmakers run out of ideas, he declares that whoever makes the best new hat will have his daughter's hand in marriage. Unfortunately, the winner is Prince Grindstone--"puffy, sneering face, tiny, piggy eyes, and huge buckteeth. His clothes were so tight they bulged over his flabby body and his pointy shoes did little to disguise his bowed legs." Princess Abigail flees the castle, preferring to die rather than marry Grindstone. In the woods, she is befriended by a large green lizard, who, with his animal friends, creates a hat of natural treasures. This masterpiece so impresses the king that he announces to Abigail she must marry the lizard instead. Although she likes the lizard, she finds it hard to envision him as her husband. Then one of the princess' tears spills on the lizard's head, instantly changing him into a prince. With tenderness and precision, the detailed color drawings smoothly communicate the predictable dilemmas of this original fairy tale. Although very different from Kroll's sparkling Looking for Daniela [BKL S 15 88], this lovely princess tale has a delicate flavor all of its own. ~--Deborah Abbott
