Mirrors &
Windows
Kathleen Bailey, column editor
Ripples and Ribbits in the Pond
Kathleen Bailey
Frogs have an immense appeal for me, and I can't quite nail down
why. As
a child I chased darting tadpoles through the shallows of Maple
Lake; as
an adult I have frog symbols sprinkled liberally throughout my home.
Obviously these elusive creatures hold a special fascination. Is
their
green shade a link to the hidden world of faery? Or is it their
wide
smiling mouths, with large eyes that take in much? Ultimately,
frogs
survive astonishing transitions and transformations, beginning as
small
jelly-like blobs, sliding through the green depths of ponds as
tadpoles,
then magically, mysteriously metamorphosing into frogs, in shapes
totally
other to their beginnings.
Donna Jo Napoli plays with the traditional story of the frog prince
in The Prince of the Pond, turning the tale inside out, and in the
process
giving readers an amazingly detailed picture of a frog's natural
world.
The prince is utterly transformed by magic. He becomes an immigrant
to a
new country, alien within his own skin, unable to be articulate,
confident and comfortable. Nothing is familiar -- food, friends or
surroundings -- for now he is a small creature, vulnerable in a
strange
world. He doesn't even have control over his speech -- hence the
name "De
Fawg Pin".
With a delightful sense of humour, Napoli recounts the tale from the
wondering eyes of a knowledgeable female frog who comes to the
rescue of
the clumsy yet endearing newcomer. As the tale unfolds, it is
interesting to see what values are carried into the pond, and
transmitted
like ripples through the water. Napoli seems to be exploring the
core of
what it is to be human as she shows Pin's bewilderment and sadness
at his
transformation. Though he is trapped in an alien body, Pin's
reactions
are all too human, as he fasts for days to avoid eating insects.
Pin
plummets into depression, and only finds meaning in life when his
rescuer
tells him how much she values their relationship.
But equally intriguing are the discoveries made by Jade, his
partner, who
realizes that she has met a mate who is an intellectual seeker, who,
in
spite of his difficulties, is exploring and challenging the norms in
his
new world. Frustrated at not being able to speak clearly, Pin faces
the
common problem of an immigrant who knows what he wants to say, but
can't
communicate easily. He stumbles as he speaks, yet doggedly
perseveres to
explain his ideas. Jade is able to see his intelligence, and
bolsters his
self-confidence.
As we see a loving relationship develop between Jade and Pin, more
and
more human actions appear in the story. Pin saves Jade from being
eaten
by a water snake by a foolhardy leap straight onto the snake's head.
His
love for his children makes him protective. Finding a safe place to
raise
a family is totally foreign to Jade, who has never questioned the
ways of
her world. Normally, tadpoles would be left to fend for themselves
after
the female frog began the cycle by laying eggs. Feeding fifty
tadpoles in
a well, where they cannot be eaten by predators, seems extremely
bizarre
to her, but she is able to adapt.
When he has a son who bonds closely with his parents, Pin creates an
elaborate naming ceremony for Jimmy. It seems no coincidence that
Schachner's illustration here shows Pin doing a graceful backwards
flip.
Much of his body resembles the arch of a gymnast, doing joyful
handsprings. Frog he is, but his delight in his child is wholly
human,
and the accompanying picture is of a lithe frog whose acrobatics
reflect
his human yearnings.
Ultimately, the deeper undertones to the story make for other
queries.
Pin and Jade's love for their children makes us ask how we, as a
human
society, treat our young. Napoli has created a parable which leads
us to
examine what we value about community, intimacy and relationships.
When
the spell is broken, and Pin returns to the human world, we are left
with
a wistful sense that there could be a better way of living, an
alternate
reality. Isn't that the sign of a true faery tale?
Napoli, Donna Jo. The Prince of the Pond, Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin. Illus. by Judith Byron Schachner. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1992. ISBN 0525449760.
Kathleen Bailey is a children's librarian who joys in watching the children romp through her library in Toronto, and attempts to send each one out the door with a pile of books.
Volume 3, Issue 1, The Looking Glass, 1999
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"Ripples and Ribbits in the Pond" © Kathleen Bailey, 1999.
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