Princess to the Rescue

K-Gr 2—In this turnabout fairy tale, a princess saves princes who were turned into frogs, kidnapped by an ogre, locked in a dungeon, or buried in a cave. But her greatest challenge comes when a prince is trapped in a jewelry box in a castle, surrounded by snakes, dragons, and hideous monsters. The quick-witted royal manages to reach the lad, who falls instantly in love with her. The princess tricks a monster that has discovered her, escapes the castle, and frees her beloved. The end. Confusing narration, awkward artwork, and a lackluster story line plague this fractured fairy tale. The color-saturated cartoon illustrations are unremarkable, and the ending is unsatisfying. Instead choose Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess or Cornelia Funke's Igraine the Brave (Scholastic, 2007).—C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY