This author/illustrator team once again embarks upon a tale of an obstreperous princess. Life is boring for Princess Isabella. She’s tired of fancy dresses, having someone else blow her nose and smiling for hours on end. Enough—she chucks her crown out the window where it lands in the fishpond. When she refuses to retrieve it, her father the King punishes her by sending her to the pigsty. Surprise! Isabella is happy as, well, “a pig in mud!” She scratches the pigs’ bristly hides, feeds them and cleans out the sty. The backfire works; the King caves, fishes out her crown and consents to letting her do as she wishes. Sketchy cartoon illustrations ham up the humor, and kids will be rooting for the princess. Occasionally, bold type helps to emphasize words and bring the text to life: “crumbs, scratch, boring, yuckety yuck, pigsty,” and, of course, “stink” stand out on the page. A plucky princess in yucky muck is good and dirty fun. (Picture book. 4-7)
