Prince Ribbit

Once upon a time, a talking frog tried to pull a long con on two princess sisters. Lucinda and Arabella are devotees of fairy tales, so they think the frog has Potential Handsome Prince written all over his green face; he’s invited to dine at their table and sleep in a royal bed. But a third sister, Martha (whose personality and tresses may remind readers of Merida from Brave), insists that “Just because it’s in a book doesn’t mean it’s true,” and sets out to find the cold, hard facts. Since those facts live in science books, however, Martha finds her own words turned against her. These proceedings may cause a little uneasiness in anyone who believes we’ve entered a post-truth world, but rest assured that Emmett and Bernatene, collaborators on The Santa Trap and other titles, are here to entertain, not debate objective reality. The pictures have the vivid sweep and irreverent characterizations of modern animation, the frog is a suitably haughty rogue, and readers will take away a universally appealing lesson: it’s fun to be clever. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)