Just Imagine Book Guide The Frog Prince Continued Written by Jon Scieszka Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd. These notes can be freely printed and used in education settings. However, they may not be reproduced in any other format without express permission from Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd. This constitutes breach of copyright.
About the Author Author name Jon Scieszka is an American children s writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is the founder of Guys Read, a webbased literacy program for boys which aims to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. Scieszka was the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People s Literature for the years 2008 and 2009. Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher are an illustration team with more than forty picture books in print. Their work has garnered rave reviews and won awards. Their books include My Many Colored Days, Bebop Express, I Walk at Night, New York s Bravest, The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Salamander Room. They were also concept artists for Pixar s Toy Story and A Bug s Life. They live in California with their son. About the Book After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome Prince and they lived happily ever after or did they? The Princess can t stand the Princes froggy habits the way he hops around on the furniture or sneaks off to the lily pond. The Prince is unhappy, too, and decides that it would be best if he were changed back to a frog. But finding a witch who will do the job is harder than he expects. They all seem to have other spells in mind. This witty sequel to The Frog Prince will amuse children who are already familiar with classic versions of traditional tales. www.justimagine.co.uk Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 2
Before Reading Making Connections Before reading, invite the children to tell you the story of The Frog Prince, if they already know it. If it is unfamiliar, read or tell the story before reading The Frog Prince Continued. You can find an early edition of the story in the Grimms collection of Fairy Tales. The story was called The Frog King or Iron Henry. Most modern retellings have the frog transformed back into a prince when the princess kisses him. But in the earlier Grimm story, the spell is broken when the princess throws the frog against a wall in disgust. The title Introduce the title of the book. What does the word Continued mean? Do the children know any other books or films with Continued in the title? Introduce the word sequel and briefly discuss any sequels they are familiar with. Display the words and definition in the classroom. Invite the children to share ideas as to what they think will happen in The Frog Prince Continued. First encounters If you have multiple copies of the book available, distribute so the children can either read independently or take a picture walk through the book. Invite them to make notes of the first responses. Offer a few prompts to support them: How is it similar or different to the version with which you are already familiar? Choose a favourite illustration and explain why you like it. Did you you notice any patterns when you were reading the book? Did you have any questions while you were reading? After they have read the book, invite the children to share their first thoughts, either in pairs or in small groups. Listen to the children while they are talking and make notes of significant point, which you can return to later when you revisit the book. www.justimagine.co.uk Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 3
During Reading The following supplementary prompts are suggestions for aspects of the text you might want to analyse more deeply, depending on the children s initial responses. Choose those most appropriate for your class or group. And they lived happily ever after Why is this an unusual beginning for a story? Is there anything interesting about the way the illustration has been executed? Why do you think the page has been made to look like an old book? Okay, so they weren t so happy Why do you think the Princess is upset at the beginning of the story? Do you think she has a point or is she being unfair? What evidence can you find in the pictures of the Princes former froggy life and habits? What does the vase of flowers add to the scene? How would you describe the expressions on the prince and princesses faces? The prince didn t feel like going out Why can t the princess and the princess get along? The three witches Which fairy tales do each of the witches come from? Which nasty spell do you think the first witch might have used on the Frog Prince, if she had the chance? Have you noticed anything special about the way this witch is dressed? ( e.g the decorative border on her dress is zzzz like snoring; she has a moon earring which suggests nighttime when people are usually asleep. These are both nice touches for a witch who sends princesses to sleep!) What do you notice about the second witch s room? (e.g.the fairest on the door, Hague magazine is a witchy version of Vogue she is surrounded by pampering paraphenalia, red apple trees outside the window). What clues do you have about the third witch before we even see her? When the third witch tells the Frog Prince she will see if she can fit him in for lunch what does she mean? Can you find another similar joke? The fairy godmother What story do you know featuring a fairy godmother, a pumpkin and a carriage? What do you notice lurking in the shadows in the spooky forest? The village clock struck midnight How has the stay in the forest changed the Frog Prince? How has the Frog Prince s absence changed the princess? Do you know the saying absence makes the heart grow fonder? What does it mean and is it appropriate for this story? The hopped off happily ever after Do you think the Frog Prince and the Frog Princess will live happily ever after? Why? why not? www.justimagine.co.uk Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 4
After Reading The problem All stories have characters that want something. Usually they don t get what they want at the beginning of the story. It is this problem that makes the story worth reading. We want to know if the character will overcome their problems and get what they want in the end. What do the characters in this story want? (consider, the Princess, the Prince, each of the three witches, the fairy godmother). When you have finished the book discuss whether any of the characters get what they want. Did anyone learn anything in this story? The Frog Princess Continued Do you think the Frog Prince and the Frog Princess will live happily ever after? Where do you think they will live? What do you think will happen next In a story circle create a sequel: The Frog Princess Continued. Use a simple Flow Map or storyboard to plan out your story. Practice and perform your story for another class, or in an assembly. Art What do you notice about the Prince and Princesses coat of arms? What would you put on a coat of arms for Sleeping Beauty, Snow White or Jack (Jack and the Beanstalk)? Create you own fairy tale coat of arms. Frogs In Science, study the life cycle of a Frog www.justimagine.co.uk Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 5
If you enjoyed this book, you might like Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross Tadpole s Promise Jon Scieszcak and Lane Smith The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs Toby Forward The Wolf s Story www.justimagine.co.uk Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 6