"In this team's gently wry debut, a series of eerily realistic animal portraits illustrate one-page profiles that tell what each character will bring to a party for the Prince. Like aboriginals at a secret dance, van der Linden's animals adorn themselves for the gathering with cowrie shells, tusk-like teeth, daubed-on paint and feathers … Even children who've seen dozens of animal photographs will pause to look at these - the hyena, for instance, waits and watches with a face tattooed Maori-style; he sports a fantastic basket-woven hat from which strings of beads dangle. In each of Rinck's short vignettes (which appear on the left, with the full-bleed portraits on the right), animals uncertain of the worth of their gifts receive tender encouragement, while over-confident animals get gentle rebukes … In a quiet moment of fairy-tale parody, the Prince turns out to be a tiny frog ("Has anyone brought what the prince wants most? Has anyone brought him a kiss?"). This creation is itself a marvelous gift to bring to any party."
     —Publishers Weekly

"A contemplative, serious, and uplifting book."
     —School Library Journal

"Rich paintings tell the thoughtful tale of animals preparing for theprince's party. … The animals' costumes evoke world-wideindigenous cultures. The young prince, appearing finally on the last page, is (surprisingly) a tiny, delicate frog sitting on a lily pad wearing aminuscule gold crown. His wish for a certain particular gift implies agentle link with a famous fairy tale, but knowledge of that tale isn'tnecessary for enjoyment of this lovely piece."
     —Kirkus Reviews


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"In this team's gently wry debut, a series of eerily realistic animal portraits illustrate one-page profiles that tell what each character will bring to a party for the Prince. Like aboriginals at a secret dance, van der Linden's animals adorn themselves for the gathering with cowrie shells, tusk-like teeth, daubed-on paint and feathers … Even children who've seen dozens of animal photographs will pause to look at these - the hyena, for instance, waits and watches with a face tattooed Maori-style; he sports a fantastic basket-woven hat from which strings of beads dangle. In each of Rinck's short vignettes (which appear on the left, with the full-bleed portraits on the right), animals uncertain of the worth of their gifts receive tender encouragement, while over-confident animals get gentle rebukes … In a quiet moment of fairy-tale parody, the Prince turns out to be a tiny frog ("Has anyone brought what the prince wants most? Has anyone brought him a kiss?"). This creation is itself a marvelous gift to bring to any party."
     —Publishers Weekly

"A contemplative, serious, and uplifting book."
     —School Library Journal

"Rich paintings tell the thoughtful tale of animals preparing for theprince's party. … The animals' costumes evoke world-wideindigenous cultures. The young prince, appearing finally on the last page, is (surprisingly) a tiny, delicate frog sitting on a lily pad wearing aminuscule gold crown. His wish for a certain particular gift implies agentle link with a famous fairy tale, but knowledge of that tale isn'tnecessary for enjoyment of this lovely piece."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"Exquisitely detailed paintings illustrate this story. They are so life-like you almost expect the animals to move. Enjoyable story and incredible illustrations! This book is a must!"
     —Fort Worth Independent School District Book Reviews

"The haunting images, depicting animals wearing hats and jewelry of varied natural materials, are intriguing and accomplished."
     —Horn Book Guide