Princess Power | Get Your Glimmer On

“Do you have any books about princesses?” It’s a request often heard in school and public libraries and a topic that continues to captivate the imaginations of children. Take advantage of this never-waning enthusiasm and use the opportunity to deliver some quality books to eager young readers and listeners. The offerings featured here will enchant their audiences with satisfying storytelling, effervescent artwork, and winsome characters who take on challenges large and small. Whether actual royalty or a princess self-proclaimed, these protagonists use their special status to supercharge their imaginations, shore up their self-confidence, and spread their sparkle to everyone around them. They demonstrate that true princess power is not about pink dresses and shiny tiaras, but more about what’s inside. Share a tale and help your students get their glimmer on.

Let’s Pretend
The endearing star of Antoinette Portis’s Princess Super Kitty (HarperCollins, 2011; PreS-Gr 1) demonstrates that an imagination can take a child anywhere. Not satisfied with being a “regular” girl, Maggie dons orange-striped ears and tail to become a kitty (meowing and lapping milk from a bowl), adds a cape along with amazing powers (including “superstrong” underwear-seeing vision), and then gussies up in a pink frock and accessories to turn into Princess Super Kitty and “do royal things.” Bath time brings about another metamorphosis into the grass-skirt-wearing Water Lily Hula Porpoise Princess Super Kitty of the Sea. The amiable narration, dynamic artwork, and young narrator’s out-and-out esprit will win over youngsters, as Maggie samples her surroundings from different perspectives, picks and chooses her favorite parts of each persona, and creates an identity that knows no bounds.

When Rose awakens one morning feeling “royal,” she decks herself out in colorful items from the “make-believe basket” and transforms into The Queen of France (Candlewick, 2011; PreS-Gr 2). Bearing herself in an appropriately regal manner, the Queen goes off in search of Rose, soon encountering the girl’s parents and questioning them about their daughter’s whereabouts (they gamely play along with the fantasy). After a visit back to the bedroom and quick change in attire, a much more down-to-earth Rose emerges and heads off to seek out the Queen. Of course the two never meet, but as the girl explores her world through the eyes of her alter ego, she realizes that though there are perks to being royalty (“You never have to clean your room”), it is Rose who gets to listen to bedtime stories read by her father, has her hurts kissed away by her mother, and rests secure in her parents’ unwavering affection. After dinner and hugs all around, Rose decides she feels “scary” and gets ready to don a dinosaur costume and launch into another imagination-powered adventure. Tim Wadham’s rhythmic prose strikes a pleasing balance between humorous and heartfelt, deftly conveying Rose’s changing emotions, and Kady MacDonald Denton’s pastel-hued paintings are filled with detail and charm.

Children will relate to both of these likable protagonists and their delightful flights of imagination. Identify and discuss the different roles that these youngsters try on for size, and the characteristics that go along with each persona. How do their personalities and points of view change with each transformation? Make a classroom list of the various roles that your students take on when they are playing pretend, and have them draw portraits of themselves in character.

Everyday Princesses
Not everyone believes that Geraldine is a fairy princess, but the ebullient youngster has no doubts: “I have a sparkly feeling inside that tells me it’s TRUE.” In The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl! (Little, Brown, 2012; PreS-Gr 2), the latest installment in a series written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton and vibrantly illustrated by Christine Davenier, Gerry is pleased as punch to be asked to participate in Aunt Sue’s wedding. She plans to put her “royal stamp”—and a whole lot of glitter—on absolutely everything from brightly painted decorations, to a sprinkle-embellished cake, to her prancing and pirouetting flower-girl walk, but her mother insists that she keep things simple. When the big day arrives, the event doesn’t go as the girl anticipated, but she soon realizes that it takes a special kind of sparkle—the joy and affection shared by the couple and their loved ones—to make a perfect day. The first-person narration clearly conveys the youngster’s point of view, as Gerry imparts her princess-ly precepts (“I add a creative touch to everything I do, and I try to make someone smile at least once a day”), adapts to disappointment (“Even a fairy princess has to learn the art of compromise”), and helps readers look beyond the frippery to the true heart of her fairy princess pizzazz.

Whenever Posey feels overwhelmed, she puts on her pink tutu and star-covered veil, knowing that as Princess Posey, she can take on any challenge that comes her way. In Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade (2010), the likable character faces first-day-of-school anxieties; in The Perfect Present, she must determine how to set things right when jealousy gets the best of her; and in The Next-Door Dog (both 2011, all Putnam; K-Gr 2), she finds the courage to overcome a long-held fear.

In each situation, Posey dons her glittery gear (the tutu shimmers on the books’ covers), which makes her feel special, gives her a dose of self-confidence, and empowers her to persevere, before ultimately figuring out for herself how to solve her predicament. Stephanie Greene’s short sentences, straightforward language, and brief chapters are just right for newly independent readers and Stephanie Roth Sisson’s breezy cartoon illustrations add detail while evoking the characters’ emotions. Share one of these tales as a classroom read-aloud and launch discussions about interpersonal relationships and problem-solving strategies.

Lulu loves stuffed animals, playing with tea sets, and wearing dresses, but she is equally passionate about shooting hoops. What’s a girl to do when the pushy boys on the school-yard team refuse to play with her? Hold a Basket Ball (Abrams, 2011; K-Gr 3), of course! She sends out invitations across the globe, calling for like-minded “go-to-girls with game,/To step up to the three-point line/And try to earn their fame.” When the multicultural athletes arrive, dressed in an array of ruffled skirts, sequined jerseys, and “high-top heels…Their hair wrapped in nothing but net,” there are so many talented players that the girls decide to form their own league.

Esmé Raji Codell’s verses are filled with bouncy rhymes and clever wordplay, while Jennifer Plecas’s lighthearted illustrations depict characters equally comfortable dancing in fancy finery or dribbling across the court. Take a closer look at the language usage by listing and defining all of the basketball terms and phrases the author incorporates (a glossary is appended). Have kids write and illustrate a personal reflection about their favorite sports and pastimes.

Royal Romps
In Gillian Rogerson’s zany adventure, Princess Spaghetti is preparing for her birthday party when she discovers that her father has been kidnapped by aliens. When the royal soldiers chicken out, the intrepid girl mounts a rescue effort, rockets into space, and lands on a planet where multi-eyed, sherbet-colored critters have King Cupcake stewing in a cooking pot (the clueless monarch thinks it’s a bathtub). Never fear, the pint-size protagonist summons all of her courage and royal panache to take charge of the situation, proving without a doubt that You Can’t Eat a Princess! (Penguin, 2011; PreS-Gr 1).

Sarah McIntyre’s cartoon artwork plays up the madcap action and humor with bright colors and a comical cast of creatures. From the tale’s title to its climax (when the youngster introduces the aliens to chocolate), text and illustrations are stuffed with tongue-tantalizing foods. Have your students take a closer look at the story’s key details by listing of all of the treats highlighted in the narrative and the pictures. The lively depictions of the characters can also inspire discussion and creativity. Youngsters can identify personality attributes and make portraits of their own heroes or aliens (a great opportunity for pasta collages).

Fed up with all things “fancy or frou-frou,” Princess Bea dreams of sea-roving adventure. When a “real-live” buccaneer vessel docks nearby, she excitedly climbs aboard, but things don’t go as expected. Put to work by the currish Captain Jack, Bea does a less-than-shipshape job as deck-swabber (Jack trips over a left-in-the-way bucket), “cooking wench” (the unhappy crew spits out their food with a “Pthoo!”), and look-out (perched in the crow’s nest, she heave-hoes onto the deck…and the captain). However, just as she is about to walk the plank at sword point, Bea reveals an innate talent for sniffing out treasure, ensuring her place as Pirate Princess (HarperCollins, May, 2012; K-Gr 3). Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s buoyant rhymes bristle with humor and adventure. Infused with earthy textures and ocean hues, Jill McElmurry’s detailed pictures depict the action with a briny blend of high-seas drama and comic flair. The text is generously salted with pirate terminology, words and phrases that can be extracted and defined.

Choose two or three of these princess protagonists and have children compare and contrast their personalities and points of view. Identify similarities and differences. Discuss how the books’ artwork and style of illustration contribute to the characterizations and help to convey details and attributes.

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