Part-time Princess
Put on your crowns, wannabe princesses, you are in for a night to remember. “During the day, I am a regular girl,” says our narrator. But at night? “I become a princess.” A magical staircase rolls down from her window, she jumps into a carriage driven by a gnome, and off she goes to save the day at the castle, which tonight is on fire. A real princess, we learn, can slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt, lasso a dragon and invite him to tea, play leapfrog with frogs in the Royal Mud Puddle, and be the hit of the Royal Ball—where, of course, she meets a handsome prince. “Maybe I’ll marry him when I grow up,” she says. “But right now I’m too busy.” The playful, pink-heavy mixed-media illustrations exaggerate size differences and are reminiscent of the work of Tricia Tusa. The ending continues the fun of Underwood’s story when the girl finds sparkles in her hair the next morning—and in her mother’s, too! Does this mean parents get to have fun dreams, too? Preschool-Grade 2. --Julie Cummins