Review - I Want a Bedtime Story!

I Want a Bedtime Story! (My Little Princess)
by Tony Ross
Date: 2015
Publisher: Andersen Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The King is away on royal business and since no one is as good as her dad at telling bedtime stories, the palace maid shows the Little Princess how to read to herself by using the palace library.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I noticed that our library has a few of these books. I wasn't sure what to expect; the illustration on the cover didn't really appeal to me, and I'm leery of some of these longer kids' series (I don't always have the best luck with them).

But this is actually a pretty cute story about a little princess whose father always tells her a bedtime story. When he has to go away, the rest of the household staff step up to try to fill the void, but nobody tells a story like the King, and the princess refuses to go to sleep. Eventually, they call in the Maid, and the woman takes the little princess down to the library to show her where all the stories are kept. Even though the princess can't read all the words, the Maid encourages her by saying she'll be able to figure out the stories from the pictures.

I like this message of encouraging reading independence. The pictures are just okay for me, though. They remind me a little bit of Quentin Blake's style. There's nothing wrong with them, but I'm just not a fan of the aesthetic here.

Overall, this was stronger than I expected. I wouldn't mind trying another book about this little princess.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5