First Pages: The Frog Princess

I will always love The Princess and the Frog and Tiana. Never mind the fact that Tiana was an amazing person who worked hard and also was able to recognize her faults and achieve her dreams. Never mind the fact that the soundtrack is the most singable, danceable one of all the Disney Princess soundtracks. Never mind the fact that I still tear up when <SPOILER> Ray dies. And never mind the fact that Dr. Facilier is an excellent multi-faceted villain whose backstory is ripe for a re-telling.

The Princess and the Frog triggers many happy memories of me singing and dancing along with a four-year-old Mini Me. That’s it. Mini Me and I had many repeated pretend play afternoons with Tiana, Sleeping Beauty, all the Backyardigans, and more. (Little Lion’s realm was Frozen and Star Wars and Harry Potter.)

Mini Me, of course, read all of E.D. Baker’s Tales of the Frog Princess series which were the inspiration behind the Disney re-telling of the fairy tale. From the very first pages, I can see the resemblance with Emeralda living near a swamp, wandering out to hang out with her witch Aunt Grassing, insulting the talking frog as soon as she meets him, and the fun, banter between them. Emeralda, like Tiana, definitely is not a ‘typical’ princess from the get-go.

The first pages of The Frog Princess establishes the world-builidng right away, with a beautiful sense of self and an engaging voice. I highly recommend all of her books. As well as the Disney film adaptation.

Are there any books-to-movies or movies-to-books in which you love both versions?