A cast of goofy characters, meticulously rendered in ink and cheerful, gleaming watercolor, populate author/illustrator Babette Cole's artwork, and there is a wealth of funny details that keep busy eyes active.

Princess Smartypants may be a smart-aleck, but she's sincere and full of life and charm. Prince Swashbuckle is her perfect foil: urbane, traditional, and--under all the suavity--insincere. His efforts to win Princess Smartypants have more to do with ego than affection (one of the medals on his uniform is shaped like a pig, just the kind of detail that adds humor and depth to this feminist tale).

The ending comes as a surprise. It seems Princess Smartypants has finally met her match, until she pulls that last trick out of her bag. A cry of "Yahoo!" went up during a read-aloud when a group of five-year-olds came to this subversive moment.

Another good variation on the old fairy-tale theme is Fanny's Dream.