PRINCESS IN TRAINING

Karate-chopping, moat-splashing and skateboard-zooming are much more fun for Princess Viola than tiara-wearing and hand-waving.

When the royal post delivers a letter of invitation to attend Camp Princess, Viola is keen to try it, for who would not want to be “the darling” of one’s kingdom, as Madame Gertrude, the Director, promises. Alas, though the Princess tries hard at all things properly royal, she reverts to true form and enhances her actions by chopping instead of waving, splashing instead of walking and zooming instead of waltzing. Is all lost? Never! The night of the camp’s Royal Bash, Viola employs her skills to best a hungry, bright-green dragon and returns home in triumph. Sauer, who likes spunk in her characters, writes with brisk humor, employing action verbs to great effect. Berger, an animator and cartoonist, uses a mix of pencil, wax crayon, brush pen and Photoshop to create art with comic-book flair, complete with panels and exploding fonts. His palette of hot pink, lavender, blue and orange pulsates with energy. And, necessary for any princess outing, a generous dollop of glitter adorns the cover.

Princess power saves the day in a humorous antidote to pretty in pink.