PRINCESS SAYS GOODNIGHT
by Naomi Howland & illustrated by David Small
How would a little girl go to bed if she were a princess? This is the question posed and answered in this pretty bit of fantasy that jumps on the princess-in-pink bandwagon. Readers follow the young “princess” as she looks into her hallway mirror one evening and starts to imagine her bedtime routine as if she were royalty. The narrative is structured as a series of rhyming questions: “[W]hen Princess leaves the ball, // is she practicing her curtsies / while dancing down the hall?” She eats éclairs, takes a bubble bath, wears a feathered bathrobe and indulges in similar pleasures on her way to bed. Small’s bright and flowing watercolors capture the appropriate amount of fluff and whimsy and include plenty of delicious pinks and purples. Like a big, frosted cupcake with sprinkles, this confection will be irresistible to Princess fans, but after it’s gobbled up, the memory won’t last long. There’s no question it will infuse a bedtime routine with some fun, but it proves you can judge a book by its cover. (Picture book. 3-6)