E. D. Baker - The Frog Princess

PRAISE FOR

THE FROG

PRINCESS

"An amusing fairy-tale adventure that takes the frog-turned-prince story a Little further."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Adventures abound when the frog prince and, princess hop their way through the swamp."

VOYA

"Comical scenes and witty dialogue."

OHIO LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

"Not only is this a clever and amusing twist on the

old story, it's well-told, energetic and lively.

Emma's headstrong and independent and occasionally

quarrelsome,... and Eadric's the perfect foil for her

attitude and stubbornness. Together, they're an

entertaining pair on a bizarre quest."

CHRONICLE magazine

Books by E.D. Baker

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:

THE FROG PRINCESS

DRAGON'S BREATH

ONCE UPON A CURSE

NO PLACE FOR MAGIC

THE SALAMANDER SPELL

THE FROG

Princess

Book One in

the Tales of the Frog Princess

E. D. BAKER

Copyright 2002 by E. D. Baker

First published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books in 2002

Paperback edition published in 2004

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used

or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written

permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief

quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition

as follows:

Baker, E. D.

The frog princess / E. D. Baker,

p. cm.

Summary: After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward,

fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too,

and sets off with the prince to seek the meansand

the self-confidenceto become human again.

eISBN: 978-1-59990-398-9

[1. Fairy tales. 2. FrogsFiction. 3. PrincessesFiction.

4. PrincesFiction. 5. WitchesFiction. 6. Humorous stories.] I. Title.

PZ8.B173Fr2oo2 [Fic]dc21 2002074506

Typeset, by Dorchester Typesetting Group Ltd.

Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield

12 14 16 18 20 19 17 15 13

All papers used by Bloomsbury U.S.A. are natural, recyclable

products made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The

manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations

of the country of origin.

This book is dedicated to Ellie, Kimmy, and Nate

for their encouragement and support.

I would also like to thank Victoria Wells Arms,

Nancy Denton, and Rebecca Gardner

for their comments and suggestions.

Contents

E ven as a little girl, I had thought that the swamp was a magical place where new lives began and old ones ended, where enemies and heroes weren't always what one expected, and where anything could happen, even to a clumsy princess. Although I'd believed this for most of my life, I had no proof until Prince Jorge came to visit and I met the frog of my dreams.

I had gone to the swamp to avoid the prince, a favorite of my mother's but never of mine. My escape hadn't been planned, yet the moment I heard that Jorge was coming, I knew I couldn't stay. Normally, few people in the castle ever seemed to notice me, so it was easy to sneak away undetected and flee to the swamp. It was only after I was secure in my escape that I began to worry about how my mother would react. I could almost see the disdain in her eyes as she gave me her usual speech about the proper behavior of a princess. Although I saw her as infrequently as we both could manage, I'd long since grown accustomed to that look.

Thinking more about my mother than I was about my surroundings, I almost stepped on a snake that had slithered onto the path from the tall grass. I shrieked and jumped back, catching my heel on the root of an old willow tree. With my arms flung wide, I tried to keep my balance, but my long, heavy skirts and usual clumsiness overwhelmed me and I landed hard on the rain-soaked earth. Grasshoppers exploded up from the ground as I floundered about, struggling to get to my feet, my gown soaking in the pungent odor of the swamp. Unfortunately, being born a princess doesn't automatically make a girl graceful or confident, a fact I've lamented for most of my fourteen years.

When I'd finally gathered my skirts and pushed myself off the ground, the snake had disappeared into the tall swamp grass. I edged away, searching for something that I could use to defend myself should the snake reappear.

"Thanks a lot!" said a throaty voice.

I looked around, but there was no one in sight. "Who said that?" I asked. Aside from my aunt Grassina, I was the only one from the castle who ever visited the swamp.

"It's me, over here. You aren't very observant, are you?"

I turned toward the voice and looked high and low, but all I could see was the pond, its murky water partially rimmed with a halo of algae, and a stand of cattails at the far end. Aside from the dragonflies, mosquitoes, and water striders, the only other living creature was a frog glaring at me from the edge of the pond. I jumped when he spoke again, although it wasn't so much his words that surprised me as seeing his lips move. I'm used to magic, for my aunt Grassina is a witch, but no animal had ever spoken to me before.

"I was going to eat those grasshoppers for lunch, but because of you I'll never catch them now!" The frog scowled, shaking his webbed finger in my direction. "A big, galumphing girl like you should be more careful where she puts her feet!"

"I'm sorry," I said, offended. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident."

"Hah!" said the frog. "Apologies won't bring back my lunch! But then, it wouldn't matter to you, would it? I bet you've never gone hungry a day in your life!"

The frog annoyed me. It was enough that I had to watch my tongue around my mother. I wasn't about to do it around a frog as well. "For your information," I said, frowning at the little creature, "I haven't eaten a thing all day. My mother invited Prince Jorge to visit and I left home before he arrived. I couldn't bear the thought of spending an entire day with him."

"What is wrong with you?" demanded the frog, curling his lip. "Missing a meal because you don't like some one! You would never catch me doing that! I know Jorge and even he isn't..." The frog blinked and his eyes opened wide. He leaned closer, scrutinizing me from head to toe as if seeing me for the first time. "Wait a minute ... If your mother invited a prince to visit, does that mean that you're a princess?"

"Maybe," I said.

The frog grinned from eardrum to eardrum. Straightening his smooth green shoulders, he bowed from where his waist would have been if he'd had one. "I do apologize, Your Highness! If I had realized that you were such an exalted personage, I would never have made such churlish comments."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Give me a break. I hate it when people talk that way. I liked you better before you knew I was a princess."

"Ah-hah!" said the frog. He hopped toward me, his eyes never leaving my face. "I'm delighted to hear that you like me! In that case, would you be so kind as to do me the eensy-weensiest little favor?"

"And what might that be?" I asked, regretting my question even before the words were out of my mouth.

"Would you do me the honor of giving me a kiss?"

I couldn't help but laugh. I guffawed, I chortled, I wheezed. I laughed like I always do. Startled blackbirds took to the air as if hurled from a little boy's slingshot. A turtle basking in the sun scuttled off his rock and plopped into the water. The frog stared at me through narrowed eyes. "Are you sure you're a princess? You don't laugh like one."