Princess Says Goodnight

PreSchool-Grade 2—As her tired parents lead their prancing little girl off to bed, all three become transformed into royal personages via the hall mirror. What follows is a fantasy bedtime routine in which the little princess, home from the ball, climbs the palace stairs and enters her royal bed chamber where "a frothy glass of milk with chocolate cream éclairs" await her. A servant draws her royal bath, ladies-in-waiting sing a lullaby, and there's a bedtime story, too. Most magical of all, the two royals who attend the princess become parents again, just in time for a good-night kiss. "Every...shade of pink—/mauve and peach and rose," the princess's favorites, predominate in Small's humorous watercolor and crayon cartoon spreads. The family dog rolls its eyes as the little girl begins her routine. She bathes in a swan-shaped tub and sleeps in a vast room complete with an ornate, canopied bed. The child is all motion and delight as she savors her many amenities. The rhyming text is brief and will be more thoroughly enjoyed by youngsters who have some knowledge of fairy tales. The princess polishes her glass slippers and kisses her frog, Prince, while her dad searches under the mattress for peas. This is a good choice for parents seeking a bedtime story for their aspiring princesses. Karma Wilson's Princess Me (S & S, 2007) can add even more royal pleasure.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT
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