ALA Booklist

In this version of the familiar story, Stevenson plays it for laughs; her prince and his prospective princess are a pair of funny bunnies. The scrawly artwork colored in pastels is at its best in the cover art, with the princess staring up at all those mattresses, and in double-page spreads such as the one of prospective princesses--mermaid, harem girl, and traditional among them. However, the telling is truncated and never really explains why feeling a pea through 20 mattresses would be indicative of a princess. There are a number of versions of the tale in print; the Janet Stevens offering is still one of the best, but libraries looking for something new may want to try this. (Reviewed Aug. 1992)

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

In this French import, the familiar tale is blandly told in a brief text. The illustrations, however, feature whimsical details and are appropriate for the small format. The book includes an unnecessary picture puzzle involving plot order.

Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

The simple retelling of this brief favorite adheres closely to the original, but most of the fun here is in Stevenson's exuberant illustrations of her rabbit royalty. She follows the bunny prince to the four corners of the earth, imagines some amusingly unsuitable princesses, provides precisely the mentioned number of quilts and mattresses, and generally portrays her characters with engaging affection. Not the only edition to have, of course, but good fun. (Picture book. 5-8)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Intricate patterns and dreamy pastel hues mark Duntze's luxuriant ilustrations for this classic tale. Ages 3-6. (May)