Olivia and the Fairy Princesses (review)

Olivia can't understand it—why do all the other little girls want to dress up like princesses all the time? When her mother reminds Olivia that just last year she, too, wanted to be a princess ballerina for Halloween, Olivia counters that "that was when I was little. I'm trying to develop a more stark, modern style," as Falconer depicts her dressed in a stretchy charcoal tube, trying out multiple poses à la Martha Graham's Lamentation. Even bedtime stories remind Olivia of the popularity of princesses, and as sleep eludes her she tries to imagine alternate future occupations, such as nurse ("I could use my brothers to practice bandaging. And various other treatments," she muses while imagining herself holding a hypodermic needle as her near-mummified brothers look on). Finally, in typical Olivia style, she decides to go straight to the top of the power chain: "I want to be queen." While the plot is a bit loose, independent-minded Olivia continues to be an endearing and distinctive heroine, and many a kid (and adult) weary of Barbie-pink fluff will find Olivia's perspective refreshing. The pastel mint and ballerina-pink cover design may appeal to the very sensibilities Olivia is eschewing, and the hordes of piglets clad in rosy tutus are actually quite adorable, but confident Olivia pictorially makes a strong case for striped ensembles and primary hues as she attractively poses in Falconer's charcoal and gouache illustrations. This is a helpful reassurance that there are enjoyable alternatives to pink princesses for imaginative play and dressup possibilities.