This first American edition published 1993 shares the exact same illustrations as the earlier European editions, but the text has been totally rewritten.

Compare the opening lines of the 1992 edition (in my other review) to this one:

'For many years England had a wise and good king. The people were happy under his rule. But by and by, the good king fell ill. Soon the greedy captain of the guard, Captain Pete, saw his chance to rob and terrorize the people.'

Although both this 1993 text and that of 1992 tell the same tale, this later edition sounds a little more 'up beat'.
One small niggle I had with it however concerned the font size which is noticeably smaller than before. It is only minor, but still noticeable.

Otherwise this follows the Mark Twain story, more or less. Switch two young 'boys' from different worlds, for 'mice'. Throw in a bunch of other Disney characters and a bit of slap stick; and you have the same story which everyone knows and loves.
Goofy's 'Ice creams' from the British edition have been renamed 'snow cones' to match the original Disney short. And the 'dirt and coal dust' favour has been changed back to 'rock and twig' for the same reason. Also, American spelling comes into force to comply with U S standards.

I loved the Disney animated short, from 1990, for maintaining the true Disney tradition of story telling. But, these Book Club adaptations rarely seem to capture the same magic spirit. This book is okay; but unless your memory of watching the film is still quite vivid, this story book version does not capture the imagination in the same way. ( )

This 1992 edition of this book certainly has a great prose, but the style may prove a little challenging to some younger readers.

Example of text from the first page:

'Hard times had fallen. Good King Harry lay sick and dying and was helpless to protect his people. His captain of the guard, Captain Pete, a treacherous and greedy fellow, was sending soldiers out to terrify and humiliate them. And to steal from them, too!'

My little one struggled a bit with the sentences, but older children may not find this such a problem.

As we can see the reference to 'Good King Harry' suggests that the prince in question must presumably be a young Henry VI, which is a contrast to the original Mark Twain story, on which this adaptation is based; in which Edward VI (son of Henry VIII) is the prince in question.

This tale of historical fiction, as I am sure everybody knows, is of a poor beggar boy and a young prince who meet by chance and discover that they look alike. Boys being boys, they decide to switch clothes in order to experience each others lives. Mickey Mouse plays both roles in this story.

The illustrations are a little flat with very little shading, but because they are so bright and colourful and the characters well rendered; they are generally pleasing to the eye.
The story does feel a bit flat in places too, and to be honest it isn't one of our favourite Disney Club books.
Goofy selling creamless ice cream cones made from snow from the street, sold in a choice of two flavours: with and without dirt and coal dust, made us chuckle early on; which was just as well as there were few other amusing moments in the rest of the story. But, it's okay. ( )

"In his first starring role in more than a decade, Mickey Mouse leads a cast that includes Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and Pete in this spirited retelling of Mark Twain's classic tale. Based on the 1990 Disney animated short, this vibrantly illustrated picture book will delight young readers." Source: Goodreads