Part-Time Princess by Deborah Underwood (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- Part-Time Princess by Deborah Underwood
A young unnamed girl is, by day, absolutely ordinary, but each night she magically becomes a princess and heads off to her other, royal life in which she is clearly the star of the kingdom. It's not all glitter and tea parties (though there is both glitter and tea parties), however, as this princess also puts out fires ("A real princess can slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt. No one dreams of telling her it's too dangerous"), wrangles dragons, practices fencing, and plays leapfrog in the "Royal Mud Puddle," frilly skirt or not. After a long night of princess-duty, she returns home [End Page 439] and wakes the next morning with glitter in her hair; her mom sports glitter as well, and sharp-eyed viewers will have noticed that Mom was the "queen from a faraway land" that the girl/princess entertained earlier. Underwood's text is clear and straightforward, and there is both humor and appeal in the details she provides: "I dive into a giant tub with hot and cold running bubbles. And a dolphin." The less stereotypical attributes of this princess/girl will give her broader appeal than other picture-book princesses, while the kind of girls who love sequins and dress-up will still get their fashion fill here as well. Evans' digitally colored mixed-media art utilizes a palette heavy on pinks, but pops of aquas and greens provide a bit of respite from the roses and fuschias; the full spreads centering on the girl's various adventures are particularly inviting and make for easy sharing. Although this is still, at heart, a girly princess story, it's nice to see a princess who's more than just a fancy tiara and title.
