Under her mattress I'll slip a small pea. A princess who's perfect will feel it, you see."

Prince Fred decides it's time he got married - to a genuine proper perfect princess. His best friend, Prince Zac, warns him that such a bride might be hard to find . . .

Enter Princess Ardwenna, who turns up at the palace to ask for shelter from the storm. Prince Fred can't believe she's a real princess - she's not fussy or proud AT ALL - so Ardwenna decides to play a trick on Fred, involving one little pea and a whole pile of mattresses!

But Prince Fred might not need a princess after all. Perhaps his own handsome prince has been there all along . . .

This irresistible retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fable defies traditional fairy tale conventions. With a pitch perfect rhyming text by bestselling Peter Bently, and gloriously detailed illustrations by award-winning Claire Powell, it is an unmissable treat.