Part-time Princess

Description

At night, a normal little girl imagines she is a princess, but not just a princess who wears pretty gowns and goes to balls. She also gets to fight dragons and tame trolls. But one morning she wakes up and begins to think maybe her royal adventures aren't so imaginary after all... From the best-selling author of The Quiet Book, this jacketed picture book is perfect for every little girl who dreams of being a princess.

Deborah Underwood is the New York Times bestselling author of picture-book favorites like Granny Gomez & Jigsaw, The Quiet Book, and The Loud Book. Her work also includes the Sugar Plum Ballerina series, written with Whoopi Goldberg, and many nonfiction books. Visit her online at www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com. Cambria Evans is the author and illustrator of Bone Soup and Martha Moth Makes Socks. A former art director for Martha Stewart, she is now the owner of J. Bartyn, a design firm specializing in stationary products. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband. See more of her artwork at www.cambriaevans.com

A young unnamed girl is, by day, absolutely ordinary, but each night she magically becomes a princess and heads off to her other, royal life in which she is clearly the star of the kingdom. It's not all glitter and tea parties (though there is both glitter and tea parties), however, as this princess also puts out fires ("A real princess can slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt. No one dreams of telling her it's too dangerous"), wrangles dragons, practices fencing, and plays leapfrog in the "Royal Mud Puddle," frilly skirt or not. After a long night of princess-duty, she returns home and wakes the next morning with glitter in her hair; her mom sports glitter as well, and sharp-eyed viewers will have noticed that Mom was the "queen from a faraway land" that the girl/princess entertained earlier. Underwood's text is clear and straightforward, and there is both humor and appeal in the details she provides: "I dive into a giant tub with hot and cold running bubbles. And a dolphin." The less stereotypical attributes of this princess/girl will give her broader appeal than other picture-book princesses, while the kind of girls who love sequins and dress-up will still get their fashion fill here as well. Evans' digitally colored mixed-media art utilizes a palette heavy on pinks, but pops of aquas and greens provide a bit of respite from the roses and fuschias; the full spreads centering on the girl's various adventures are particularly inviting and make for easy sharing. Although this is still, at heart, a girly princess story, it's nice to see a princess who's more than just a fancy tiara and title. JH BCCB" By day, she's a girl with spelling tests and a little brother who breaks her crayons; by night, a princess who can "slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt." At midnight, when her crown appears, she slips out of bed to her coach to solve whatever problems have cropped up in her kingdom. She puts out a fire, invites the dragon (source of the fire) to tea, and studies magical beasts, fencing and circus arts. She hosts a royal ball with her mother, the queen, making sure the trolls get to dance. Trolls love to dance, it turns out. There is even a prince she likes. In the morning, she and her mom both find sparkles in their hair from the previous night's adventures. The colors range from candy pink to lush purple and spring green, and the line is lightweight but lively. The details are pleasingly childlike; the combination of, for example, iced cakes, a royal mud puddle and a dolphin in the tub with "hot and cold running bubbles" is quite attractive. The part-time princess' monogram, PTP, appears on her teapot, her fire engine and even her motorcycle in the last image. If there is to be yet another plucky-princess story, this one offers a pleasing blend of fancy and realism and allows mom to get into the act, too. (Picture book. 4-8) Kirkus" K-Gr 2 Though the narrator leads a regular life during the day, she becomes a princess every night after her mother tucks her in bed. She leaves her house in a pink coach worthy of Cinderella, and her faithful dachshund goes with her. Wearing a fire hat with P.T.P. on the front, she fights the blaze set by an unhappy dragon, invites him to tea, and becomes his friend. She plays leapfrog in the Royal Mud Puddle with a queen from a distant land, and she bathes in a giant tub with a dolphin before dressing for the Royal Ball. When trolls crash the party, the girl averts disaster by striking up the band. (She has learned that trolls like to dance.) After dancing with the head troll and a very handsome prince, she leaves in the Royal Air Balloon and heads for home. The next morning young readers realize that the mother with sparkles in her hair is also the queen from a distant land, and they know that the mother, daughter, and dachshund will be saving the kingdom again. The cartoon artwork features a palette of pink, lime green, and aqua. Observant children will see that the toys in the child's bedroom inspire her adventures. The simply written, upbeat text in this picture book can be easily read by emerging readers. Girls will be enchanted by this spunky, kindhearted, part-time princess. Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN SLJ" Put on your crowns, wannabe princesses, you are in for a night to remember. "During the day, I am a regular girl," says our narrator. But at night? "I become a princess." A magical staircase rolls down from her window, she jumps into a carriage driven by a gnome, and off she goes to save the day at the castle, which tonight is on fire. A real princess, we learn, can slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt, lasso a dragon and invite him to tea, play leapfrog with frogs in the Royal Mud Puddle, and be the hit of the Royal Ball-where, of course, she meets a handsome prince. "Maybe I'll marry him when I grow up," she says. "But right now I'm too busy." The playful, pink-heavy mixed-media illustrations exaggerate size differences and are reminiscent of the work of Tricia Tusa. The ending continues the fun of Underwood's story when the girl finds sparkles in her hair the next morning-and in her mother's, too! Does this mean parents get to have fun dreams, too? - Julie Cummins Booklist Online"