The Twin Princes

by Tedd Arnold

Two chicken princes who are twins take part in a contest to determine which one will inherit the throne.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Animals, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Tedd grew up with three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old. His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts degree from the University of Florida.

He and his wife, Carol, started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a commercial illustrator. Carol, a kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, NO JUMPING ON THE BED!.

He and his family now live in Elmira. His second son, William, now stars in NO MORE WATER IN THE TUB!, a sequel to his first book. He has now published over 50 books as author and illustrator.

Reviews

[Jessica Rawden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for younger kids, maybe 4-8 year olds. However, I would expect that many of the stories would still need to be read to the young readers because the type on the pages is extremely long and, in a few cases, mildly complicated. This book is only an alright story--it sort of is reminiscent of a folktale retelling; however, I liked it for two reasons. The first is because the characters in the tale have awesome googly eyes. Second, the stories features a proliferation of bad puns, and if I can get behind a ridiculous concept, it is being punny. I've liked Tedd (yes, 2 d's) Arnold's googly eyes in the past, and while this may not be his best book to pick up, it is certainly not the worst thing kids could be reading.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing disappointing about this book is that I didn't discover it while my kids were younger! We loved Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy and Parts series and they remain on my bookshelves today. I happened to see this in the library picture books as I was looking for another title and snatched it up excitedly.

The Twin Princes is an original fairytale that still employs the basic fairytale theme: good versus evil, evil seems to be winning, goodness and kindness triumph.

The structure is that of a story-within-a-story. An old nursemaid tells her two young charges the story of two brothers--twin princes. Because the boys are twins, the King doesn't know which of them should inherit the throne: Henry or Fowler. The King decides to hold a hunt and see if one boy distinguishes himself above the other and then he'll be able to make a decision. Fowler cheats and we find out this is not uncommon for him.

The King falls gravely ill before the end of the Hunt and decides a final race will determine who will ascend the throne. He stipulates that whichever son's horse crosses the finish line last will win. Henry and Fowler are confused. The author encourages the reader to try and solve the riddle of the race before he reveals the solution, directing you to clues within the text. In the end, good wins out and the children realize their nanny is the old nursemaid from the beginning of the story who wasn't paying attention to which prince was born first.

The Twin Princes will probably work best as a read-aloud as there is a fair amount of text on each page, so it won't work as an independent choice for early readers. This story is comparable in reading level to Grimm's fairytales--the originals, not versions adapted for young readers. I found it delightful. The Twin Princes is a definite add-on to my fairytale and gift-giving lists for young readers! I love the old-school fairytale vibe and Arnold's characteristically, large-eyed, humorous illustrations.

[Set · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love medieval times and I love the chickens dressed in medieval garb. The illustrations are great but the story plot bothers me. The twin that should inherit the throne is the first born. You don't decide between brothers that are a year apart, you shouldn't have to decide between brothers that are a minute apart. The legitimacy of the throne is to the oldest male heir. PERIOD.
And as a twin, I can tell you that I am constantly being compared to my twin sister and that's just an excuse to nit pick at each "difference" (flaw) we may have. Imagine if people came up to you and started comparing you to someone else all the time.

[Presley Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Twin Princes is a funny and imaginative story about two princes who are twins but have very different personalities. Through their adventures, the story shows how the princes work together, solve problems, and learn from each other despite their differences. The book is perfect for young readers because it has lively illustrations and easy-to-read text that keep the story engaging. It also teaches an important lesson about teamwork, individuality, and appreciating what makes each person unique.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author and illustrator of The Fly Guy series, comes this fairy tale of two brother princes, one foolish and one wise. The plot includes a bit of a riddle for children to try to solve before the book's ending. My son loved the artwork because it was familiar to him. Some children might find the font of the frame story on the first and last pages more difficult to read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fairy tale by Tedd Arnold! When two price chickens are born at the same time and their mother dies, the nursemaid loses track of which one is oldest. The father must decide which prince should be the heir to the throne, but he barely knows them. I like a story where good cleverly triumphs over evil.

[Irina Ostapa · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was an unexpected finish with the brother switching horses. This would be a good book to to have for independent reading. That way they can solve the riddle. You can also do this in class as a read aloud.

[Bella Floro · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and heartfelt tale about two royal brothers learning the importance of cooperation and understanding. With humor and adventure, it shows that love and teamwork can overcome rivalry and competition.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all impressed with this punny fairy tale. Missed story opportunities and clunky text made this a disappointment.

[Sarah Cho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for ages 3-8. This book has competition with in two brothers. The story is written well and displays competition in a good, positive way.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also a riddle. It would be fun to see if kids could figure it out before it's revealed.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The riddle was fun, but the best part was the overwhelming amount of chicken puns XD

[Yinxue Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are smart, you are clever and you are kind.

[Danielle Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

A regal story problem solving and wit, King Chanticleer is looking for the heir to his throne- however, he has two twin sons and no idea who to choose.

[MQR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever fun problem solving story. How to outwit competition. Kind of fun.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twin chicken princes vie to become the heir. One is kind, the other is a bully. The King decides to settle the inheritance with a horse race with a trick: whoever's horse arrives last wins.

[Abby Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny and exciting story about two very different brothers who learn to work together. The pictures are silly and colorful, and the message about teamwork makes it a fun read.

[David 75 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t like the story at all.

[Csye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story The Twin Princes was written by Tedd Arnold. The story begins with the old nursemaid and two twins Henry and Penny, wanting to hear a story. As the story begins she tells how the old king Chanticleer worrying about his twin sons. He was worried because he did know which one of them would be king. Both of the boys had all the qualities a king needed. As the story goes on she tells how the mother died while given births to the two sons; Henry, and Fowler. This was a problem because the midwife did not know who was born first and she was banished form the court. The king barely knew his sons , but one day he got an idea to take them on a hunting expedition to see if one would prove there self-more than the other. One day the boys were racing and fowler knocked a woman down and Henry helped her. For that she gave him small horse made of wood. Henry and fowler did not get along well and Henry rode off, because he could not deal with his brother foul play anymore. When the day of the race came the boys rode off, and fowler was up to his foul play again, and caused the father to get hurt. The father feared for his life and told the boys that they would have to race to see who becomes king. Throughout the beginning of the story fowler always won the races with his trickery and foul play. As the father was being taking care of henry stayed with his father, while Fowler was up to more foul play. Fowler poisoned Henrys horse to better his chances of winning the race. Before the race the father told the boys the rules, but to fowlers surprise his father told him whoever horse is last will win the race. This made fowler upset and he left quickly. The brother tried to trick Henry into going first through the city gates, so he would lose the race; the brother did not fall for his trick. While they were trying to figure out how to finish the race an old peddler came up to them and gave them a trinket. The trinket was just the same a hennery had received before. Then Henry figured out how to win the race. The horse she gave him, both of the riders had the other clothes like they were wearing. He had to ride his brother horse to win, because his horse would be last. Henry won the race and became king. As the story end the nursemaid tells the children that they are the prince’s children.

The plot of the story is self-verses others. This was Henry against his brother foul play, and trying to become king. The sequence of the story had some Flash back scenes to give background information. That’s the whole story told by the nursemaid. Another example was when the story went back to the birth of the two boys. The sequence of the story also followed an episodic story line. This was when the story highlighted the part of the book where henry remembered when the old lady gave him the first Horse.

The age range for this book is from nursery to primary. I say this because younger children will enjoy the story line, and enjoy coming up with ways that the brothers could win the race. I also say the story is for these ages because the book is made up of many pictures throughout the book. This will help the young readers to better understand what they are reading.

The artistic elements of this book were great. The book had a lot of vivid and colorful pictures. The pictures showed all the actions and emotions of the characters. The pictures also had very definite lines which made the pictures to be an outline style of art. This gave the book a cartoony feel. The pictures also had lots impressionistic art. In the pictures you could see different lighting and shadows, to create a realistic feel.

I would recommend this book to young readers. I love this book because the book was very engaging and suspenseful. I always wanted to know what came next. The book also had riddles to figure out throughout the story. I also enjoyed the pictures, and how the artist brought the animals and the town to life.

I would give this book a five star rating because the book was good to read and had great artistic elements.

[Kaley Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal response- I thought this book was cute. It wasn't the best book, but it was a humorous read. It reminded me of a fable mixed with a Bible story. It was an easier read than normal because there wasn't any kind of rhyme or riddles. There was some puns mixed in, but only adult readers would understand. It was funny to read being a twin because I could see myself doing something like this with my brother. The illustrations and font really add to the story, so the book really makes you feel like you're in mid-evil times.

Purposes
Read aloud for enrichment
-while not the best plot, there is great vocabulary and sentence variety. (This book would be humorous to younger kids, but will probably need help reading due to the higher level words.)
-Students could relate by having siblings or trying having to figure out a difficult situation
Read aloud for academic purposes:
- introduction to fairy tales (its a play off of fairytales/fables)
-introduction to family
- a read-aloud just for fun; not a lot of plot, characters are static while there are elements of plot.

[Will Thomas]

The twin princes in my opinion is every good book to read, or to have children read. It tells a very creative story and while it tells the story it uses a lot a clever little puns that correlate with the type of characters in the book. The illustrations in the book are wonderful. They flow excellently with the story and even though they are detailed, they are not to detailed. I really enjoyed Tedd Arnold's, "The Twin Princes.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4.5 year old likes this book because of the fun pictures that make the story look like it's going to be a very silly tale, but instead it's a very serious tale that shows that the "first shall be last, and the last shall be first." Kind of weird how serious the story is with such goofy pictures, but a great message and great illustrations, all the same.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

King Chanticleer can't tell his two sons apart, and at birth the midwife forgot their birth order. The king decides to have a race to determine who will be the next king. The rules of the race? The brother whose horse is last to enter the city gates shall be the King. The story contains a riddle for the reader to solve before the last page.

[Reepacheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two princes, born twins--but who shall be king? One is kind, the other cruel, but how shall King Chanticleer choose one to rule after him?

Well illustrated, well told, this story tells the basic tale of 'good triumphs over bad'.

[Kristina Silverbears · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story within a story nature of this book, and I appreciated the puns probably added for adults. Those really solid me on the chicken bit. Also, I cracked up at the worm hunt. Not sure this is a good choice for quarrelsome twins, but mine enjoyed it.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's story is about a pair of twin boys who happen to be princes. They are the total opposite of each other. They enter into a race that will determine which will become king. It has colorful illustrations.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful first riddle book for children.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids really liked this one. Has a good message about being nice to others all the time.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story with great little moral at the end.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story. The riddle within the tale will get your kiddos thinking.