The Princess of 8th Street
Libraries can never seem to stock enough books for royalty-hungry youngsters who are drawn like magnets to pink, glittery book covers—and this definitely feeds that need. The story is slight and the heroine is rather passive, but still a contingent of children will identify with Jane’s fantasy of tiaras and ladies-in-waiting. The fun comes in identifying the ways in which her pretend and real worlds overlap. When the “princess” accompanies her mother on a shopping trip near their urban home, they pass shop fronts housing the Crown Diner, Castle Realty, and King Cleaners. For the observant, pennants fluttering on Victorian turrets and a marketplace juggler in a jester’s hat are amusing nods to fairy tale kingdoms. The crux of the story centers on her highness reluctantly making a friend at the local “pleasure grounds” (aka the playground): an equally princess-besotted girl from a nearby realm (aka street). The art is colorful and detailed, if a bit flat, but the story will resonate with its intended audience. Preschool-Grade 2. --Karen Cruze