BRIANNA BRIGHT, BALLERINA KNIGHT

A stylish princess works hard to distinguish herself and find her true calling.

Tutu-clad princess Brianna loves ballet but just cannot master the steps—steps she tries to execute on the palace grounds and not in a studio with a teacher. After a conversation with Pixie, her pink, salon-groomed poodle, she decides to try other pursuits, but “finding a talent” is not an easy goal to meet. Neither cooking nor soccer is hers to master. Then she discovers fencing, and discarding her tutu for a one-piece ensemble adorned with ribbons, she practices. Alas, this does not lead to mastery for clumsy Brianna, who runs through the drills of swordplay—once again by herself, without an instructor. Then, one night, thieves make off with the palace’s sparkling jewels, and Brianna is successful in foiling them by combining the steps, moves, and balances of ballet and fencing. Thus one princess discovers her two talents and earns her titular title. Hee’s brightly colored digital illustrations feature a pale-skinned, beribboned Brianna with a perfectly coifed black ponytail and big black eyes. Descriptive words and verbs are emphasized in differently colored type, usually pink.

For those who prefer their princesses brave and perfectly pretty.