by Jane Yolen & Heidi E.Y. Stemple
Simon & Schuster, $15.99, 30 pages
Three amazing women come together to form this children’s book that celebrates the strength that can be found in any version of femininity. Just as the colorful, fun cover illustrates a group of friends sporting their own individual styles of dress while being actively involved in useful tasks, the rest of this cute rhyming story describes princesses participating and enjoying a wide variety of messy or arduous tasks. Every page has a girl wearing a sparkly crown with pride and participating in a task that would not be a cliché princess task. This book encourages young girls to branch out from previous notions about the daily activities considered feminine, but it goes a step further by encouraging a balance of femininity. By never leaving off their sparkly crowns, these girls never seem less feminine just because they are essentially enjoying the messiness of life. The creative colorful illustrations would be a joy to mothers and daughters old and young.
Reviewed by Rachelle Barrett