Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Princess-heroes team up to fight (and clean) stinky monster.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
THE PRINCESS IN BLACK AND THE BATHTIME BATTLE starts as The Princess in Black notices a stinky green haze outside her castle and follows it to the goat pasture, where she and the Goat Avenger then push it toward another kingdom. But the princess there -- Princess Snapdragon -- doesn't want it. So she puts on her hero disguise as Flower Girl, leaps on her dragon, disguised as Horsefly the Pegasus, and joins them to chase the smell away to the west with flowers. But Princess Honeysuckle in the west doesn't want it, so she dons her outfit as Cartwheel Girl and takes her wolf, disguised as Good Dog, to the the pasture, as well. Together, all four of them set up a big fan and blow the green haze to Princess Orchid's kingdom. But she doesn't want it, so she gets in her costume as Miss Fix-It and goes with her reindeer, disguised as Doom Rabbit the bunny, to the pasture. The Princess in Blankets and her unicorn, Corny, come too. The Princess in Black discovers that this isn't just a big smelly blog: There's monster under the green goo and garbage! So they decide to give him a bath to get him smelling sweet and then send him back underground to Monster Land.
Is It Any Good?
This wacky adventure is loaded with gross, smelly stuff kids will enjoy as well as great messages about teamwork and problem-solving. It's fun to see that all of The Princess in Black's princess friends' have their own secret hero personas -- and unusual hero pets, too! The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle ends with a hint that there are "more heroes out there." This beloved series shows no sign of slowing down.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the heroes in The Princess in Black and the Bedtime Battle work together to solve a problem. Have you ever had a problem that you and your friends or family members solved together? What happened? Did it help having other people's ideas?
If you had a secret hero identity, what would your name be? What would your costume be? Do you have a pet who could also be a hero in disguise and go on adventures with you?
Why do you think this series is so popular? What's fun about it?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : LeUyen Pham
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Superheroes , Adventures , Friendship , Fantasy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : November 26, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 5 - 8
- Number of pages : 96
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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