Jimmy Pickpocket Of The Palace [Mass Market Paperback]

Napoli picks up where she left off in The Prince of the Pond, in which a prince turned frog regains his royal corpus only after starting a large and loving frog family. The star of this new adventure is Jimmy, the prince's frog son, who attempts to save the pond from a witch's wicked machinations. His mission leads him to a nearby palace, where an encounter with an ill-tempered princess transforms him into a human boy (being told to stand up, Jimmy confides, "Slowly I straightened my legs. Standing was so strange. Even with my human body, I didn't see why people did it"). Misunderstandings pile up in this lighthearted romp, only to be swept away with comic legerdemain. The bittersweet undertones of the first novel (and of Napoli's even more memorable The Magic Circle) are replaced by broad humor and almost slapstick sequences. Sure to amuse the target audience. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Grade 3-6?Pin, the Prince of the Pond (Dutton, 1992), left his frog family unintentionally in Napoli's first amphibious plunge when he was kissed by Marissa, a princess. Now his venturesome son Jimmy leaves home to find the magic ring that will save the family pond from the curse of their old nemesis, the hag. As he hops into the palace, he is captured by the hapless princess Sally, Marissa's preteen sister. When Sally kisses his wounded leg, Jimmy finds himself in unsteady human form. The kindest of the palace inhabitants is Marissa's husband-to-be, a prince whose unusual empathy with frogs includes a taste for bugs. Jimmy must betray this friend to steal the magic ring from his pocket. Of course, the prince is Pin, who faces a bittersweet choice between his human and frog lives and loves. Napoli balances the comic possibilities of Jimmy's struggles with his human form with his deeper feeings of loyalty, courage, and honor. In an echo of his father's plight, he has two female admirers?Gracie, a frog, and Sally, whose rough handling spells doom for all pets. The ultimate strength of the book lies in Napoli's rich descriptive powers that include a respect for biological accuracy. Schachner's black-and-white illustrations enhance especially the transformation from frightened frog to goggle-eyed boy. This sequel is as engaging and unpredictable as its predecessor.?Sally Margolis, Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Gr. 4^-6. In The Prince of the Pond (1993), a prince becomes a frog named Pin. Now, the tables are turned, as Jimmy the frog, Pin's son, becomes a boy. The best audience for this will be readers of the first book, who can hop into the action without trying to wade through back story. They will enjoy Jimmy's awkward transition from amphibian to boy (he keeps wanting to ingest insects), but they may wonder why it takes both Jimmy and the prince so long to figure out what readers are well aware of--their shared froginess. The story gets a little tedious before the bittersweet conclusion, in which Jimmy realizes that his dad is really a human at heart. Illustrated with many pen-and-ink drawings, the book, with its good-size print, has an easy, accessible look. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

In this, the sequel to The Prince of the Pond, Jimmy the frog hops off to the palace to snag a magic ring that can save his pond from certain doom. Suddenly, Jimmy finds he has been turned into a human--and has has landed in a heap of hilarious trouble!.