A contrarian fairy tale in which swashbuckling adventures alternate with deep philosophical discussions.
In this sequel to The Princess Rules (2020), Princess Florizella acquires a baby brother and continues to advocate for division of labor and gender equality among royalty in her fairy-tale land.
Having successfully negotiated a more or less equal partnership with Prince Bennett, the feminist princess is shaken to the core when a baby boy is mistakenly delivered to the palace and immediately becomes heir to the kingdom. Christened Prince Courier owing to his unorthodox arrival by stork, the child rapidly develops into a highly competent individual who is extremely aware of his privileges. As Bennett, Florizella’s bestie, informs her, thanks to the Prince Permit, princes get to do whatever they want (and get all the toys) whereas princesses have to abide by the Princess Rules. Florizella persuades Bennett to stand with her against all of this and help her teach her little brother to behave more fairly. Several wild adventures follow, involving encounters with kidnappers, a giant sea serpent, bossy Good Manner Eagles, colorful pirates, and a woolly mammoth. Expressive, amusing artwork enhances the text, adding to the fun. The feminist and populist messages woven throughout the narrative challenge the stereotypical values of traditional fairy tales and provide a serious undercurrent for the wacky, anachronistic humor of the story. Bennett is brown-skinned with curly black hair; other main characters read as White.
A contrarian fairy tale in which swashbuckling adventures alternate with deep philosophical discussions. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-00-843873-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper360
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2021
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
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