not your everyday princess books...

"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."     -Sarah Crew (A LITTLE PRINCESS)

I hope you won't limit your kids' experiences with Princesses strictly to the popular Disney versions.  Girls ages 4-8 will also love these beautifully illustrated picture books about these rather unconventional princesses who are courageous, innocent, loyal, and resourceful ...

THE APPLE PIP PRINCESS by Jane Ray. This is the story of a kingdom that was once full of laughter, happiness, trees, and birdsong. But when the queen dies, it becomes quiet and barren, and everyone is filled with sadness. What will make the kingdom come to life again? Can Serenity, the youngest of three princesses, bring hope and bloom back to her kingdom with a single apple pip — a precious seed left to her by her mother? This original fairy tale is brought to life and exquisitely illustrated by the internationally renowned Jane Ray.

THE PAPER PRINCESS by Elisa Kleven. A little girl draws and cuts out a picture of a princess. When the paper doll is blown away by a gust of wind, she travels far and wide and finally... ends up with her own little girl again. Kleven has taken this simple story and given it style and heart. The events, some of which are either purely fanciful or highly unlikely, all seem authentic. Giving an inanimate object a believable personality is not an easy feat, and the author does a fine job of it. Her graceful phrases add a lyrical air, and emotions are described with a light and delicate touch. Her multimedium collages have never looked fresher or more interesting. The world she creates is not necessarily free from danger or sadness, yet it is predominantly full of beauty and sunlight. All the elements of the visual arts-texture, pattern, shape, color, and line-come alive in her skillful hands. The best book yet from this talented author/illustrator, and one that children will love. - School Library Journal
(Also by the author: THE PAPER PRINCESS FINDS HER WAY, THE PAPER PRINCESS FLIES AGAIN: WITH HER DOG!)

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA by Lauren Child.  School Library Journal: Child has expanded Andersen's tale from a one-page gem into a humorous picture book that will delight the whole family. Color photographs of a cleverly designed, three-dimensional miniature world of dolls reveal wonderful details. The mattresses–all 12 of them–are covered in multi-patterned cloth, tables and cupboards display real china plates, and a mirror reflects a princess sitting in her parlor. The prince says that he wanted to marry for love. In an aside, Child comments, He was just that kind of romantic boy. The prince now tells his parents: I would gladly marry tomorrow but…she must be more mesmerizing than the moon and I must find her more fascinating than all the stars in the sky. And there must be a certain…something about her. The loving king and queen throw a royal ball so that their son can meet all the eligible princesses; unfortunately, not one fills the bill. He then decides to travel far and wide to look for a real princess. It is not until he comes home that she appears at his door. We all know what happens then.

THE MAGIC HILL by A.A. Milne, illustrations by Isabell Bodor Brown.  I was so excited to discover a fairy tale written by A.A. Milne! School Library Journal says of this original tale, written in 1925: Neither complex nor overtly moral, it delivers its own sweet vision of childhood where play is as pleasant as a freshly picked flower. At her christening, Princess Daffodil's parents anxiously await a gift to be bestowed upon her by the Fairy Mumruffin. Will it be Beauty, Wisdom, or Goodness? No, it is that flowers will grow wherever their daughter goes. Upon the child's first birthday, the King returns from hunting to find flowers blooming on his pathways. He decrees that the Princess must be carried across all walkways and can play only in the flowerbeds. The forlorn child finds that the opposite is true for the other children, who are not allowed in the beds. Thus, when the Doctor finds her sorely in need of exercise, he advises, "although she is a Princess, she must do what other little girls do." The Queen finds a solution: a lovely little hill where the child can romp all day and the country children pick flowers come evening.

CAPTURING THE "EVERYDAY MOMENTS" OF CHILDHOOD

There is something very special about an author who can capture the innocent humor of those everyday, ordinary moments of childhood. A.A. Milne is a perfect example of this; and his stories and poems featuring Christopher Robin are even more humorous and endearing because of the additional animal characters of Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit, Piglet, Eyore, Tigger, Kanga and Roo.

Two contemporary authors that have really been able to capture the essence of childhood by introducing us to the imaginative worlds of some very fun animal characters are Russell Hoban and Kevin Henkes.

Hoban wrote about Frances the badger in the 1960's and his sophisticated wit peeks through Frances' precocious personality as she learns lessons about life...

From A BIRTHDAY FOR FRANCES, by Russell Hoban, with charcoal illustrations by his wife Lillian Hoban:

Frances was in the broom closet, singing:

Happy Thursday to you,

Happy Thursday to you,

Happy Thursday, dear Alice,

Happy Thursday to you.

"Who is Alice?" asked Mother.

"Alice is somebody that nobody can see," said Frances. "And that is why she does not have a birthday. So I am singing Happy Birthday to her."

"Today is Friday," said Mother.

"It is Thursday for Alice," said Frances...

"I am sure Alice will have cake and candy on her birthday," said Mother.

"But Alice does not have a birthday," said Frances.

"Yes, she does," said Mother. "Even if nobody can see her, Alice has one birthday every year, and so do you. Your birthday is two months from now. Then you will be the birthday girl. But tomorrow is Gloria's birthday, and she will be the birthday girl."

"That's how it is, Alice," said Frances. "Your birthday is always the one that is not now."

MORE FRANCES BOOKS: BEDTIME FOR FRANCES; A BABY SISTER FOR FRANCES ; BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES; A BIRTHDAY FOR FRANCES; BEST FRIENDS FOR FRANCES; A BARGAIN FOR FRANCES.

Henke's popular mouse stories, published in the 1980's and 90's, featuring Chester, Chrysanthemum, and Lilly - to name a few - wouldn't be complete without his fun illustrations that match the text perfectly...

From CHESTER'S WAY, written and illustrated Kevin Henkes:

Chester had his own way of doing things...

He always cut his sandwiches diagonally.

He always got out of bed on the same side.

And he never left the house without double-knotting his shoes.

Chester always had the same thing for breakfast - toast with jam and peanut butter.

And he always carried a miniature first-aid kit in his back pocket. Just in case.

"You definitely have a mind of your own," said Chester's mother.

"That's one way to put it," said Chester's father.

MORE MOUSE BOOKS: (ages 4 & up) CHESTER'S WAY; CHRYSANTHEMUM; JULIUS, THE BABY OF THE WORLD; LILLY'S BIG DAY; LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE; OWEN; SHEILA RAE, THE BRAVE; A WEEKEND WITH WENDELL; WEMBERLY WORRIED.

Go to: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/ for more books by the author and "Fun & Games" activities.

MAKING FRIENDS WITH POOH

Some of the most enchanting stories and poems I've ever read to my children were written by A.A. Milne, for his son Christopher Robin. All the joys and innocence of childhood are captured in these stories. Most kids have been exposed to Winnie-the-Pooh stories through the Disney movies and shows, but the books are what brought him to life for us...


"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Anyhow, here he is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh."

The world of the Hundred Acre Woods and Pooh's and Christopher Robin's friends - Owl, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Kanga and Roo - are only part of Milne's genius. We also loved the lilting verse and humor in WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG and NOW WE ARE SIX. Because the books were written in the 1920's, the language and concepts are old-fashioned; and that makes the poems that much more engaging!

A.A. Milne gets perfectly the world of children, and because it's from a father's perspective, you'll find youself smiling and blinking back tears at the same time. Here's one of our favorite's:

VESPERS
Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush ! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

God bless Mummy. I know that's right.
Wasn't it fun in the bath tonight?
The cold's so cold, and the hot's so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy - I quite forgot.

If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny's dressing-gown on the door.
It's a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood.
Oh! God bess Nanny and make her good.

Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed,
And pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes, and I curl up small,
And nobody knows that I'm there at all.

Oh! Thank you, God, for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said "Bless Daddy", so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember. God bless Me.

Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares?
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

-from WHEN WE WERE YOUNG by A. A. Milne, Illustrations by E. G. Shepard

POOH LIBRARY ORIGINAL 4-VOLUME SET