The Queen Who Couldn't Bake Gingerbread

by Dorothy O. Van Woerkom, Paul Galdone (Illustrator)

King Pilaf of Mulligatawny and Princess Calliope of Tintinnabulum marry despite her inability to bake gingerbread and his inability to play the slide trombone

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Dian Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was interesting. Published in 1975 it would work well on any child's bookshelf today. It tells the story of a King who decides to look for a wife. His criteria are "she must be as wise as she is beautiful, and can make gingerbread". After a couple of prospects turn out bad, he comes across a Queen (wise but not beautiful and can't make gingerbread) with her own standards for a husband "He must be as kind as he is handsome, and he has to play the slide trombone". After realizing he can't find anyone to meet his standards he goes back to this queen and they make a pact to agree to wed but never mention the fact that neither meets their picky standards (he isn't handsome, can't play trombone either). After a year of wedded bliss, they have a blow up and use those facts against one another even though they originally agreed never to bring them up. So with the kingdom in peril they hide in opposite ends of the castle. After a while they each realize how the other has compromised something of what they originally thought they wanted and feel bad for how they treated the other. The twist here is that, secluded in other sides of the castle the townsfolk begin to hear "noises like an elephant dying" and smell "something horrible and burnt". As time passes the smells get better and the noise becomes more tuneful. In the end its revealed that NO the King didn't learn to play the trombone to make the Queen happy, neither did she learn to bake Gingerbread to please him (something a more traditional fairy tale would have done). Instead the King learns to bake his own bread, and the Queen learns to play her own instrument. And the townspeople celebrate the fact that they have gotten together again and learned to make themselves happy. What a great gift this would make, even to adults as a wedding gift!!

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this disarming German folk tale, King Pilaf, monarch of Mulligatawny, realizes one morning that he needs a queen. But, he decides, he won't have just any queen -- he must have one who can bake perfect gingerbread. He interviews princesses from neighboring kingdoms, finding a wise, beautiful princess and a merely beautiful one, both of whom are willing to marry him but neither of which can bake gingerbread. The last princess, Calliope, is more wise than beautiful, does not wish to marry him because she desires a husband who can play the slide trombone. Realizing that he will not get his wish, the king decides to settle for princess wise-and-beautiful, but she has already married someone else. He also misses his chance for the beautiful-and-unwise, and finally he and Calliope both agree to give up their aspirations. They marry, promising never to bring up gingerbread or trombones again. But one contentious day they break their promises, and each must decide separately how they will resolve the conflict.

The story is lighthearted, told with a cunning flair, and Paul Galdone's whimsical illustrations lend it just the right mood. It's not often that you see a romantic fable that extends past the wedding into the inevitable marital conflict. Simple and funny as the story is, its example of commitment and fidelity comes through clearly as each spouse decides to engage in the marriage they have actually embarked on rather than the one they had envisioned. All ends well in the kingdom of Pilaf and Calliope, and they do indeed live happily ever after.

[Tanaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had good illustrations and they were kind of old looking. The book was about a king looking for a wife who could make gingerbread but he found one that couldn't make gingerbread. One day the queen and king had an argument and they yelled mean things at each other. King and Queen had realized why they had got married in the first place. The king had learned to make gingerbread for himself and the queen had learned to play the trombone for herself. The moral of the story was to learn to do things for yourself and to not just push them on to other people so they can make you happy. I gave this book 4 stars because it was a little lengthy and the illustrations made up for the story.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book about a king and queen who learn (in a comical way) to complement each other's differences.

The King wants a wife who can bake prefect gingerbread, and the Queen wants a husband who can play on the slide trombone. They decide to get married anyways because the wisdom and kindness they see in each other are more important to them than the gingerbread is for the King or the slide trombone is for the queen.

But... The problem doesn't go away by ignoring it. Really, really, really, cute and funny.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The easily recognizable fairytale style images and silly plot line are instant attractors of this tale, however, it offers a nice twist at the end that seals the deal.


*** SPOILER ALERT ***


In many ways, I envision this story as a sort of an inverted Gift of the Magi, in that the King and Queen learn to do the very things that they see as deficient in each other instead of expecting each other to rise above these deficiencies. This is an interesting take on compromise that I have not seen elsewhere in picture books.

[Anne Nydam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of this book in a blog post here: Fantasy Picture Books of Note.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this story, especially the subtle wit. Very fun.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the classic, folklore, Paul Galdone illustrations!

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

"King Pilaf of Mulligatawny was having a very bad day..."

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An obstinate couple learns that marriage is all about compromise.

Hint -



makes a pretty damn good pan of gingerbread.