Do princesses ride tricycles, climb trees, do chores, or have to eat the crusts of their bread? The mother's voice is timelessly reassuring as she answers her daughter's questions and advises her that being like a princess has to do with what we are on the inside. This heart-warming book offers a gentle lesson about self-acceptance, and will inspire children to follow their dreams and leave their own mark on the world.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-This book may just fit the bill for some young royal wanna-bes; however, if they prefer their princess to be fighting off witches or saved from fierce dragons, they may be disappointed by the lack of plot elements. In a rhyming text, a little girl asks her mother various questions about princesses. She wants to know if they play in the sand and dirt, wear jeans and a messy old shirt, do chores, follow rules, eat vegetables, snort as they laugh, etc. Each spread has a one-line question facing the mother's one-line response. Gordon's whimsical paintings in pleasant pastel shades are a good match for the funny text. At the end, the child asks, "-do princesses seem at all like me?" She is told to "Look inside yourself and see-." The final page features a mirror with the message, "A princess is a place in your heart." This is as sweet as a little candy heart, but not a must-purchase.
Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Gordon's whimsical paintings in pleasant pastel shades are a good match for the funny text. . . . This is as sweet as a little candy heart. (School Library Journal)
From the Author, Carmela LaVigna Coyle:
Everyone knows a princess! Don't they? The kind of princess that runs like the wind, climbs awesome trees, and makes mistakes?
Princesses everywhere are discovering that it's not all about glitter, or how we're dressed, or being privileged. The real essence of being a princess cannot be purchased in a store!
The impulse to write this book came after my 4-year-old, Annie, asked me the fateful question, "Mommy, do princesses have to wear hiking shoes?" Before I had time to take a breath, Annie blurted another "do princesses" question, followed by another. (Yeah, it was awesome.)
Simply put, Annie was wondering if she "qualified" as a princess, in the precise little package she was already in; mismatched socks, denim, rough and tumble, yet with a flair for pink.
And yet, anything goes. If wearing a puffy skirt and tiara is your thing... then go for it. This book is all about empowering girls to be who they truly are.
Yes-yes-yes... to all of the above. And then some.
Be sure and see all my other Do Princess books. Especially my latest book about princess best friend forever!
