Funny and pointed; a fast, enjoyable read for both the youngest, would-be princesses and their male counterparts.
A little girl learns from a “real” pretty princess about rigid, downright icky, expectations for those who would be pretty princesses.
A brown-haired, pink-skinned, cartoonlike moppet, dressed in striped socks, denim skirt and ski sweater, is standing on one foot daydreaming: “More than anything else in the whole wide world, I wanna be a pretty princess!” Enter a smiling lady, also brown-haired and pink-skinned, whose ice-blue ball gown is exactly matched by her long gloves and tiara. She remakes the little girl into a pretty princess by lacing her into an extremely tight dress, forbidding her to get dirty, fussing with her hair, applying makeup, forbidding her to eat at the grand tea party (“Uh-uh-uh, stuffing one’s face is hardly princessly behavior”), and making her dance in a staid, boring manner—called “graceful” by the princess. The climax arrives after the beleaguered child and the pretty princess have waited almost interminably for their respective handsome princes; being forced to interact with her prince is the final disillusionment. The humorous pictures are matched by text in pink cartoon bubbles for the girl, lavender bubbles for the princess. The final pages do an excellent job of illustrating the little one’s liberation from status quo princess-dom, both in art and in the girl’s words of black and scrawled red.
Funny and pointed; a fast, enjoyable read for both the youngest, would-be princesses and their male counterparts. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4926-1520-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The action of this rhymed and humorous tale centers upon a mouse who "took a stroll/through the deep dark wood./A fox saw the mouse/and the mouse looked good." The mouse escapes being eaten by telling the fox that he is on his way to meet his friend the gruffalo (a monster of his imagination), whose favorite food is roasted fox. The fox beats a hasty retreat. Similar escapes are in store for an owl and a snake; both hightail it when they learn the particulars: tusks, claws, terrible jaws, eyes orange, tongue black, purple prickles on its back. When the gruffalo suddenly materializes out of the mouse's head and into the forest, the mouse has to think quick, declaring himself inedible as the "scariest creature in the deep dark wood," and inviting the gruffalo to follow him to witness the effect he has on the other creatures. When the gruffalo hears that the mouse's favorite food is gruffalo crumble, he runs away. It's a fairly innocuous tale, with twists that aren't sharp enough and treachery that has no punch. Scheffler's funny scenes prevent the suspense from culminating; all his creatures, predator and prey, are downright lovable. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2386-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
