The Secret Lives of Princesses- Kids Pick

Author: Philippe Lechermeier
Illustrator: Rebecca Dautremer
Details: Hardcover, 88 pgs
Published: May 12, 2010 by Sterling Publishing
isbn: 1402766777 (ISBN13: 9781402766770)
Reading Level: Childrens
Received from: Sterling publishing for an honest review





Description:

Go beyond Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella! Some princesses are well-known to all children—but others, equally magical (and sometimes, a lot funnier) have remained anonymous, mysterious, and far from the fairy-tale crowd.
Now these captivating ladies are finally stepping out of the shadows where they’ve remained hidden for far too long. With wit, sublime humor, and beautiful art, The Secret Lives of Princesses introduces a bevy of royal daughters to the court of young readers.  While it alludes to some of their more famous sisters, this large and lusciously illustrated compendium presents such unique and unforgettable characters as the petite Princess Claire Voyant, who can see very far into tomorrow (but muddles her predictions); Princess Oblivia, who forgets everything and misses all her appointments; Princess Tangra-La, who does the tango, the fandango, and any dance that comes her way; and Princess Babbling Brooke, who chatters on and on about everything and nothing. Plus, you’ll learn about such princessy matters as the language of fans; coats of arms; and how not to offend dangerous fairies who cast evil spells.
Poetic, often humorous, and always enchanting, this is the perfect collection for princess-loving girls who long for more than just the traditional fairy tale.

My Thoughts:

This book was very cute!  It really stands out and is very girly but not in the pink frilly way.  

The illustrations are beautiful but somewhat dark and chilling.  It is certainly not your average children's book, that's for sure!  They aren't scary, not by any means, just more 'adult' I guess.  You can judge for yourself by my pictures.  

This is a looooonnnnggg book!  It's 88 pages and isn't a few sentences on a page.  I had to split it up to read it to my daughter because I got tired of reading it and she grew bored.  I'm not saying the story is boring, but a 5 year old can only sit still for so long.  But I don't take that as a negative.  I have no problem spreading a book out over a couple days.  And it's wrote so that it can be.  Each Princess kind of has it's own story and it's a new Princess for each page.

Now the story itself is fabulous!  Seriously, it'll have you in fits of giggles.  Here are some examples: Princess Somnia comes from a lazy family, she sleeps all day.  Princess Paige reads everything she can find (she's my favorite, of course).   Princess Babbling Brooke talks A LOT.  Princess Molly Coddle is spoiled.  Princess Miss Hap is a clumsy mess.  Princess Oblivia forgets everything.    Now that's just a few of these unique Princesses.  But not every page is about a Princess.  There are other pages thrown in as well.  For example there's a page about how you become a Queen.  

Each page has it's normal little bit, and then there's little paragraphs in smaller print off to the side that gives a few other facts.  Like for Princess Somnia it gives some facts on the four poster bed and how it's adorned with silk, etc.  It also tells you who the Princess is related to.  Princess Somnia is related to Sleeping Beauty.  

My daughter had fun for hours looking through this book.  And it was entertaining for myself as well, which is always a plus!

I give this one 5/5 Moons for both illustrations and story!

There is an awesome website for The Secret Lives of Princesses where you can play games, do a personality quiz and learn more about the book and the author and illustrator.  Be sure to check it out! 

Disclosure: I received this book in return for an honest review.  I was not paid or compensated in any way.  The opinions expressed are my own!