Guest Author - Megan Romer

Sleepy Princess and the Pea is a beautiful game for children ages 3-12. It is made by Haba toys, a German toy manufacturer that makes games and toys using real materials like wood and fabric to produce top-quality products that will make any parent and every child happy.

Sleepy Princess is based on the classic fairy tale where a disheveled young girl shows up at a palace one rainy night and claims to be a princess. The queen tests her by putting her in a bed with dozens of mattresses, pillows and blankets beneath her and a tiny pea buried beneath them all. If she is a real princess, thinks the queen, she will be so delicate that she will feel the discomfort of the pea beneath the huge pile of bedding. Of course, the princess passes the test and is rewarded with the prince of the palace's hand in marriage.

This game is a relatively simple game, all the players have to do is stack the provided mattresses on top of the pea without allowing them to tumble. Children do not need to be able to read to play this game, but it will help them develop their fine motor skills and the cooperative version of the game does away with the winner/loser sensibility that so many American children's games have.

Children will find the charming concept and fun and colorful game pieces (including the adorable wooden princess doll) irresistable.

SLEEPY PRINCESS AND THE PEA AT-A-GLANCE:

GAME BOX INCLUDES: Game Board, Cardboard Bed Frame, 4 Cloth Mattresses, 4 Cloth Pillows, 4 Cloth Blankets, Wooden Princess Doll, Wooden Pea, Wooden 6-sided Die, Instructions (Princess and the Pea story included in instructions)

YOU'LL NEED: Nothing

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $24.00

AWARDS WON: Oppenheim Gold Seal, Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice, Family Fun Magazine Toy of the Year, Parents Magazine Best Holiday Toy

TRY IF YOU LIKE: Akaba, Montessori and/or Waldorf educational methods, toys made with real materials, fairy tales

PERFECT FOR: A child's first game

RATING: 5 Fluffy Mattresses out of Five