Princess and the Peas

by Rachel Himes (Author) Rachel Himes (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

In this adaptation of The Princess and the Pea, Ma Sally cooks the best black-eyed peas in Charleston County, South Carolina.

Her son, John, is a highly eligible bachelor, and three local women vie for his hand in marriage by attempting to cook as well as Ma. At the last minute, a surprise contestant named Princess arrives at the door. Princess and John are well-matched, but Princess has her own ideas. When told she has won John's hand, she asks him to scrub the pots and pans before she'll give him an answer.

Her answer, it turns out, is that she wants to spend some time getting to know John first. Backmatter includes an author's note and a recipe for Princess's Black-eyed Peas.

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Kirkus

Dedicated to “black families everywhere,” this heartwarming story, with its fairy-tale tone, will have broad appeal.

School Library Journal

Food, family, and community are the heart of debut author/illustrator Himes's retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen story. Ma Sally, -the best cook in Charleston County, South Carolina,- is concerned when her son John wants to get married, because the local gals might not feed him right, so she plans a cooking contest to see if anyone is worthy. Kind and thoughtful John is considered a catch, and several women answer the call. After they fail to impress Ma Sally in the kitchen, a newcomer to town arrives at Ma Sally's, saying she heard about some kind of contest. Introducing herself, Princess sets to work making the best peas Ma Sally has ever tasted. Princess then suggests that John might take her dancing—after he washes the dishes, of course. The narrative's rhythm and pacing hearken back to its fairy-tale roots, and the rich text (-tables groaned under crocks-) will have readers' mouths watering. Himes immerses children in the Formica world of the 1950s setting, and the pastel-colored backgrounds make the characters practically pop off the page. Her textured acrylic, watercolor, and mixed-media illustrations add dimension, bringing readers into a vibrant African American community that they'll want to return to again and again. Princess's winning pea recipe is appended. VERDICT This retelling of a classic tale is a fresh interpretation and a fun read-aloud. A first purchase for most collections.—Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

In her first children's book, Himes transplants Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" to an African-American community in mid-20th-century South Carolina, where a young man named John thinks it's about time that he got married. His mother, Ma Sally, an acclaimed local cook, has mixed feelings: "She couldn't bear the thought of her only child sitting down to an ill-cooked meal." Thus it's decided that John's prospective bride will have to whip up a batch of black-eyed peas that pass muster with Ma Sally. Demonstrating one's smarts and skill in the kitchen is a definite step up from simply being sensitive to foreign objects hidden under a mattress or 20, and Himes's heroine, Princess, is no pushover. "I like John well enough, but I've got my own plans," she says, setting aside any notions of a shotgun marriage. Instead, she suggests a date at the juke point and makes sure that John is doing his share: "Why don't you show me how you scrub them pots and pans?" Rendered in a flattened, folk art style, Himes's paintings lovingly evoke the period setting, highlighting the community's warmth, traditions, and fashion. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Rachel Himes
Rachel Himes is a museum educator, children's books author, and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her work focuses on material culture, diversity, and intercultural exchange, especially in the ancient and medieval world. She works in a variety of media, but mostly acrylic and collage. Rachel is a graduate of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781623543785
Lexile Measure
600
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Charlesbridge Publishing
Publication date
October 11, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
Library of Congress categories
African Americans
South Carolina
Mothers and sons
Contests
Courtship
Charleston County
Cooking (Peas)
Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law
Charleston County (S.C.)

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