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|---|---|---|
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library | E 398.2 JOH | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Newberg Public Library | MONSTER JOHNSTON | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
It's time for the annual fun-fest in the old growth forest, and this year the Bigfoot Prince is ready to choose his bride. He hopes she will be just like him -- a big, hairy, odoriferous nature lover. Rrrrrella, who's as golden as a banana slug with feet like log canoes, would be a perfect match. But can she get past her awful stepsisters and reach the funfest in enough time to win the Prince's heart?Tony Johnston's fresh and funny take on this classic story is brought to life in James Warhola's exuberant art.
Author Notes
Tony Johnston was born in Los Angeles, California on January 30, 1942. She received a B.A. in history and an M.A in education from Stanford University. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a fourth-grade teacher.
She has written over 70 books for children. Her titles include Amber on the Mountain, the Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea, Day of the Dead, the Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, the Sparky and Eddie series, and the Adventures of Mole and Troll. Her first adult novel was Any Small Goodness.
Her works have earned her several awards including a Children's Choice Award for Four Scary Stories and the Beatty Award in 2002 for Any Small Goodness.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-This ultimate reversal of the Cinderella story stars a dashing, nature-loving Bigfoot prince who is "horrendously hairy." Of course, he is as "tall and dark as a Douglas fir" and women long for him. Nearby live a mother and her two puny, furless daughters who not only bathe (ugh!) but also throw rocks at spotted owls. They despise Rrrrrella, their woolly, huge stepsister with feet "like log canoes." When the prince gives the annual fun-fest, Rrrrrella, who is left behind, is helped by her "beary godfather." The rest is history. All of this takes place in the old-growth forest where the Prince protects the environment with his rules, "No pick flower. No pull tree," and protects himself with the last rule, "No kick royal family." The troll-like Bigfoot population lives joyfully among wild animals in a forest paradise. Large, bright paintings in greens, browns, and gold depict the large-nosed, big-toed heroine and her "odoriferous" love interest. All but two crowd scenes can easily be shared with a group. The book can be read alone, aloud, or used for storytelling. It's hilarious fun with a message for all ages.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
What becomes a Bigfoot most? This silly twist on a favorite fairy tale clears up that question (and more) with humor and style. The Bigfoot prince is looking for a wife. But his perfect mate must meet some stringent criteria: she must be odoriferous, have lots of matted fur and be the kind of nature lover that never picks flowers. Finding such a catch isn't easy, so the prince throws a forest-wide fun-fest at which all the female Bigfeet can compete for him. Rrrrrella is a good candidate but her wicked stepsisters (who wear wildflowers in their well-groomed fur) won't let her attend. With help from her Beary Godfather, Rrrrrella wows the prince at the fun-fest and leaves a giant bark-clog in her wake. Johnston's (The Chizzywink and the Alamagoozlum) wacky fantasy stays true to the Cinderella story, and her fresh setting and funny, evocative details will keep kids laughing. Warhola's (Bubba the Cowboy Prince) giant woolly creatures sport prominent, snouty noses and grimy-toothed grins. They cavort with glee and exhibit enough recognizably human behavior to sustain the visual humor. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This Cinderella take-off occurs in the world of the slow-witted Bigfoots, where matted fur and a fishy smell are signs of beauty, and a grizzly bear serves as beary godfather. Readers will likely appreciate the topsy-turvy humor and the cave-man-like dialogue (Me wish go fun-fest. Me wish dunk prince). Warhola's illustrations make full use of the story's silly possibilities. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5^-9. This spirited recycling of the Cinderella tale offers a howlingly funny take on the original. Single, "horrendously hairy" --and therefore appealing--Prince Bigfoot, "as odiferous as his tree-home [is] coniferous," lives alone in a hollow tree in the old-growth forest of the Northwest. He takes great offense with any female who combs her fur and laces it with wild flowers. The prince hosts a fun fest, announcing he will marry the woman who can roll him off a log into the river. In the same forest lives a huge, young, hardworking, smelly, nature-loving Bigfoot woman named Ella--or Rrrrrella, as her name is roared by her bossy stepsisters and stepmother. Rrrrrella longs to have her turn at dunking the prince but instead watches sadly as the others go off without her. Then Rrrrrella's "beary godfather," a magical grizzly bear, comes to the rescue, and with a wave of his paw, he conjures bark clogs to help her grip the log. Rrrrrella dunks the prince and then rushes off, leaving him holding one huge clog and wondering, "Where my stinking beauty go?" The uproarious story is further energized by Warhola's luminous, hilarious paintings. Throughout the fun is a gentle reminder of the book's underlying message to protect the forest. --Ellen Mandel