Princesses everywhere will celebrate this spirited model of independence.
Like the title character of Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess (1980), this youngster neither wants nor needs to be saved.
With this story translated from Italian, Pisi plays deftly with other fairy-tale tropes. Though our princess inhabits a far-off castle with a dragon, the scaly creature isn’t an adversary, but an ally who supports the princess as she practices karate, navigates thrilling rapids, and builds a flying machine. It’s far better than the boring palace, where there’s “nothing to do,” and she can’t wear trousers or even “use a screwdriver.” Her father, the king, believes she’s an unwilling captive and has even offered a rich reward for her rescue, but as the knights arrive one by one, she exclaims, “Can’t you see I don’t want to be saved?” She reinforces her words with “a mighty karate chop,” sending each soaring “away beyond the mountains.” But when the Green Knight shows up, the flying machine enthralls him, and the two (along with the dragon) set off, collecting other princesses “in search of adventure.” The splotchy, goofy-looking, pale-green dragon, eyes at half-staff, is never threatening. All the characters are child-size; the feisty princess is pale-skinned, while the supporting cast is diverse. Rovira’s delicate and precise line art, with spare but effective use of color, is lively and droll, with some amusing details, like the cat and bird kibitzers. Text and illustrations work together well, exalting girl power.
Princesses everywhere will celebrate this spirited model of independence. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9791387834265
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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