Review - I Want a Sister!

I Want a Sister! (My Little Princess)
by Tony Ross
Date: 2001
Publisher: Andersen Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The Little Princess has a new problem to cope with. Her mother is having a baby, but Little Princess doesn't want a brother - she wants a sister. Everyone tries to convince her otherwise. Then the new baby is born, but is it a boy or a girl?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

In this story, the Little Princess really, really wants the new royal baby to be a girl. She just doesn't want a brother. Even after all her arguments about why boys and brothers are bad in general are all contradicted by the adults of the household, she still insists that she wants a sister, and reminds her mom when she goes to the hospital to bring back a baby girl!

Well, the queen ends up having a little prince. I don't know how things are going to go from here on out, but the kid seems happy enough after her parents convince her that they don't need another little princess because they already have her. I can see this being of use for kids who are facing the impending arrival of a sibling... but it doesn't go much further than that. Sibling rivalry isn't really addressed (and with all of the Little Princess's preconceived notions about boys, there's probably going to be some friction in the castle).

I enjoyed this a little more than I Want a Friend!, but I still think some of the other books in this series are better.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - I Want a Friend!

I Want a Friend! (My Little Princess)
by Tony Ross
Date: 2005
Publisher: Andersen Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The Little Princess can't wait to start school! At first, she finds it difficult to make friends and she is left all alone. But she soon finds there are other children with no friends, and before she knows it she has more friends than she can count!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't find this book as enjoyable as some of the others in the series. While it's kind of amusing to see the princess and all the other "friendless" children all being friendly with each other (oblivious, much?), there's really not a lot of story here.

This is fine for fans of the series, but I think some of the other books are stronger.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - I Want Two Birthdays!

I Want Two Birthdays! (My Little Princess)
by Tony Ross
Date: 2008
Publisher: Andersen Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The Little Princess wants to have two birthdays! Very well, says the prime minister. Of course, when the princess sees how much fun two birthdays are, she must have three. Then four. Then more! But the more birthdays she has, the less special they are. Fortunately, the king has a clever solution up his royal sleeve.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I Want Two Birthdays! is about a princess who--you guessed it!--wants two birthdays. Why? Because she enjoys them so much. Since royals have a public birthday and a private one, it's easy enough to accommodate the request. But the princess thinks that she might have more fun if she had three birthdays. And if three, why not four? Eventually, she ends up with a whole year full of birthdays. But this has some unexpected consequences. There's no time to do anything else. She always has to be clean and wearing her birthday best. And the presents, quite frankly, suck. Nobody can afford to buy 365 presents, so the princess starts getting things like chewed gum and broken clothespins. The king then comes up with a solution to the problem. It's unclear whether the princess ever learns her lesson, but I would hope that with some gentle reminders from the adults in her life, she'll eventually get it.

The idea of something special not being so special anymore reminded me of one of my childhood favourites, Mrs. Pig's Bulk Buy by Mary Rayner. It's a good concept for a picture book, showing kids that special things are just that... and when they become commonplace, they're not as special anymore. While it might seem like a great idea (in theory) to have a birthday every day, this story clearly shows why having just one or two birthdays a year is a much better option.

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

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