3 out of 4 stars
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Any book that begins with a pencil drawing of a child sticking their tongue out is worth reading, in my opinion. The Cranky Little Princess by Bobbie Hill is a children’s rhyming story about a five-year-old princess who is a nasty, spoiled brat. Nothing suits nasty Princess Rosie Grace. She stomps around the castle, snaps at every person and pet, and every word that comes out of her mouth is rude. She has even been known to punch or kick anyone for questionable reasons.
The story is written in a traditional four-line rhyme scheme, with rhyming second and fourth lines in each stanza. The writing sometimes doesn’t flow well since the number of syllables varies on the first and third sets of lines. I found this gave an awkward feel to the rhymes, particularly if reading aloud. There is also one instance where there is a short fifth line, even though the two short words would have easily fit on the previous line.
The unique illustrations are pencil-style drawings. They are a nice complement to the narrative, although few and far between. The pictures are often of one character, such as Princess Rosie Grace or a gargoyle, and don’t depict a particular scene. Since there are so many vivid descriptions, it would have been nice to have detailed illustrations accompanying every page. I think young children enjoy a story more when there are many illustrations that show the actions described in the narrative. There is one particular scene that involves Wilson the ogre and Ollie the troll who both live in the Royal dungeon. Instead of artwork showing these characters along with Wolfgang the gargoyle, there is a more general illustration of the door to the dungeon.
The climax includes an interesting twist, with a moral at the end of the story. There is also an explanation of the meaning and legend of “gargoyles.” This is a nice bonus since most children have no idea what a gargoyle is.
I don’t think it sets a good example to kids that the young princess kicks a palace guard in the shins for simply asking her why she’s glum or punches an ogre for no reason at all. There are also some grammatical and spelling errors scattered throughout the story.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The plot is imaginative with a surprise ending, and the main character is well drawn even if she isn’t likable. Fans of children’s stories that rhyme would find this an entertaining read. Hail to the Princess, but be sure to stay out of her way!
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The Cranky Little Princess
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