The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine
By Jan Carr,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Found Mark Twain fairy tale made vibrantly new and classic.
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Based on 1 parent review
Mark Twain surprisingly lives
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What's the Story?
THE PURLOINING OF PRINCE OLEOMARGARINE tells the story of Johnny, who lives a hardscrabble life with his cantankerous grandfather. When the grandfather sends Johnny off to sell the chicken, Johnny meets a kind old woman who gives him a handful of magic seeds. The seeds grant Johnny the ability to understand the language of animals, who help him after a prince is captured and the king offers a reward for finding him.
Is It Any Good?
Mark Twain is a national treasure, and it's a happy day when his old work finds new life thanks to a star author-illustrator team. The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine is a magical mixture of old and new. Co-author Philip C. Stead has done the near impossible, turning Twain's extensive notes for a kids' story into a fresh and modern classic. Twain's work (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper) is dense, and Stead opens it up. The book is formatted much like a picture book, liberally illustrated, with some blocks of text isolated. Stead preserves the classic style, sometimes addressing the reader directly, as well as Twain's wry eye, filtering it through a modern lens. For instance, our forefathers "first burgled this land from its Original Citizens." He conceives of the task as a conversation between himself and Twain, interspersing the story with their fictional discussion about the story, and somehow, against all reason, this works beautifully.
The illustrations by Erin E. Stead are lush and gorgeous. Her animals are charming, her portraits of faces arresting, and her palette is subdued and calming. The main character is a boy of color. There's lots of white space, and some of the story is communicated via the art; for instance, we see that the kind old woman has fairy wings. This book feels like a beautiful, extended picture book and would be treasured in any home library.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the unusual structure of The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. Since the book has two authors who worked on the story nearly 140 years apart, which elements do you think originated with Mark Twain, and which do you think were developed by Philip C. Stead? Are there clues in the story?
Why do you think Philip C. Stead wrote the conversations he imagined between himself and Mark Twain? Did those sections distract you from the main thread of the story, or did they deepen the experience for you?
What do you know about Mark Twain? What other books has he written? Do you know anything about his life?
Book Details
- Authors: Mark Twain, Philip C. Stead
- Illustrator: Erin E. Stead
- Genre: Fairy Tale
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Doubleday
- Publication date: September 26, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 160
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2017
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