Part-time Princess
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Regular girl turns princess at night in delightful fantasy.
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What's the Story?
After her mom tucks her in each night, and at the stroke of midnight, an ordinary girl wakes with a crown on her head and begins a magical adventure as a brave, hardworking princess, with her cute wiener dog along for the ride.
A pink carriage pulled by a unicorn whisks them away to a kingdom where the girl puts on a firefighter's hat and fights fires caused by a dragon. "A real princess can slide down a fire pole in a frilly skirt," she says as the narrator. "I save the kingdom, as usual," she adds. She lassos the dragon, but, instead of locking him up, she invites him to tea and discovers he just needs some cheering up. After more play with animals and a queen who looks a lot like her mom, a ball with "hairy trolls" (who love to dance), and a handsome prince, she heads back home to her own bed. At breakfast, she notices she and her mom both have sparkles in their hair.
Is It Any Good?
PART-TIME PRINCESS is a wonderfully fresh take on a princess story. Here, there's more to the job than wearing pretty clothes and nabbing a royal husband. This princess uses her time each night in a magical kingdom to fight fires, tame dragons, and have fun. It's all done with a light touch and a very appealing protagonist.
There are echoes of the girl's real home in the fantasy world, highlighted in Cambira Evans' cheery illustrations (including a small dolphin toy at home that becomes a real dolphin in her princess bathtub).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it means to be a princess. What do real-life princesses do? What would you do if you were a princess?
How is Part-time Princess different from other princess stories you've read or seen in movies or on TV? How is it similar?
What kinds of adventures do you have in your dreams?
Book Details
- Author: Deborah Underwood
- Illustrator: Cambria Evans
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Great Girl Role Models, Ocean Creatures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
- Publication date: March 5, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 7
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Hardback
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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