Review - Part-time Princess

Part-time Princess
by Deborah Underwood
illustrated by Cambria Evans
Date: 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

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.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I picked this one up because of the author, not really knowing what to expect from it. It's actually really cute! Yes, there are tiaras and fancy dresses and balls... but there's also firefighting and dragon counselling and general kingdom-saving.

Every night, the kid goes to bed... and dreams she's a princess. She lassos a dragon, only to find out he's just cranky because his little brother melted his crayons. She plays leapfrog in the royal mud puddle. She takes a bath with a dolphin in preparation for the royal ball. When some unexpected guests show up, she deals with them before they can cause any trouble. (At one point, she mentions she might grow up and marry the handsome prince, but not right now because she's too busy. Priorities!)

I like the subtle incorporation of the girl's mother (I almost didn't catch it at first) into her imaginative world. The whole book is kind of a clever twist on the whole princess theme, emphasizing imagination and action over entitlement and superficiality.

There are enough bright colours (and lots of pink!) to make this book appealing for kids, but adults will probably appreciate the humour and deeper message (at least, deeper than you often see in princess books). If you're looking for a book about princesses that's a little bit different, you might want to check this one out.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5