A classic tale re-told and illustrated by the classic comic book artist, Will Eisner. This would fit into an Eisner collection just as easy as it could create warm and vivid bedtime story memories for your children. You will not be disappointed with this.

Princess Backwards is the story of Princess Fred who cannot quite adjust to life in her kingdom where everything is the reverse of what we are used to. She struggles to do things the way everyone else in the kingdom does, but despairs at her clumsiness. But when the castle is threatened, Princess Fred realizes that her way isn't wrong -- it just different and may even save the day! A lively picture book story creatively written by Jane Gray and energetically illustrated by Liz Milkau, Princess Backwards is a wonderfully entertaining and original addition to any personal, school, or community library picture book collection.

Princess Chamomile may be a princess but she doesn't mind getting dirty! Princess Chamomile and Milchoir (the gardener) plant a garden designed by the Princess. It takes a long time to create the garden - but it is worth the wait. This book is great for readers from 7 years and up and is a great book for all people interested in gardens and princesses! My favorite part of the story is when Princess Chamomile admits that she didn't play the piano well because she was day-dreaming. Knowing that someone else feels that way may let kids understand that a little whimsey instead of perfection is perfectly okay. It is also a good story to teach patience - and that good things take a while to come true. The illustrations are perky and fit the charm of the story. This is a delightful book and a good way to get students back into the swing of reading for this school year.

I bought this for my 3 year old daughter who is all girl. She is just like Princess Jessica and loves to dress up and play pretend. It even has a real world older sister who makes fun of Princess Jessica for dressing up but the young girl stands up for herself and has a ball.

I can't tell you how many times my daughter has gone out in public in dress up clothes or wearing all her jewelry (just like Princess Jessica) but I've learned to be proud of her individuality and style.

As a kindergarten teacher, I am always looking for books that teach as well as entertain. Helen Lester delivers just this in her story about a very spoiled princess named Penelope and her parrot that she receives as a birthday present. Penelope does not speak nicely to the bird, and is angered when the bird will not speak to her. Penelope later learns how important it is to use "nice words" when speaking to others because her words come back(as the voice of the parrot) to haunt her in front of a prince she wishes to impress.

The story is cleverly written in a language that the children identify with and the pictures match the story completely and are as equally amusing. My class loves this book and begs to hear it over and over. This is one of Helen Lester's best books, and is definitely a must have! If a five year old want to read it, it has to be wonderful!

Knowing little about Queen Victoria, I was looking for a good biography. In "Queen Victoria" I hit the jackpot! This book strikes just the right balance between revealing the life of the private woman, wife, widow and mother and the Queen of her people, while giving the reader an insight into the public affairs of her time.

Victoria's life can be divided into four segments. The first is her youth during which she grew up with her mother after the death of her father. During this segment of her life, she was protected by her mother to the intense irritation of her uncle, King William IV. During this period, Victoria and her mother enjoyed a close relationship which was to terminate after Victoria's accession to the throne..

The second era of her life can be described as the Albert era. Although I greatly enjoyed the TV movie, "Victoria and Albert", I understood it much more after this movie. Albert, Victoria's first cousin and consort, is the one who really emerges as the star of the book. Although reluctant to marry Victoria, she clearly fell head over heels for him. After their wedding, Albert became Victoria's trusted confident and advisor, to the point of becoming the defacto monarch. Always "The Foreigner", Albert won the trust and admiration of British politicians, industrialists, commercial and social leaders. In domestic relations, Albert helped bring about a reconcillation between Victoria and her mother. As a businessman who reorganized Victoria's estates to multiply their return or a statesman molding Britain's foreign policy, Albert was superb. An example of the importance of his influence is found in his last diplomatic intervention during the Trent Affair. The Trent Affair was an incident in which the Trent, a British flag vessel, was stopped and searched by a ship of the United States Navy, which removed two Confederate agents. An incendiary protest was toned down by Albert to one which would lead to a peaceful solution, rather than to war. If Albert had died a month earlier, the United States may have either lost the South or won Canada.

The third segment of Victoria's life is her tragic widowhood. Totally dependent on Albert during his life, Victoria was devastated by his death. For years thereafter she almost totally withdrew from her royal duties, despite the efforts of her ministers to lure her back into public life.

During the fourth segment of her life, Victoria returned to public life as the mother of her country and grandmother of Europe. Emerging to the adulation of her people, Victoria resumed her rides through London, her tours of the Kingdom and the entertainment of her royal relations. During this period a major portion of her diplomacy was involved with her irritating grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

This book certainly portrays Victoria as a Queen unlike those with which we are familiar. Not mere figureheads, Victoria and Albert were actively involved in public affairs. Among their surprising topics were dynastic relations and stipends for her children.

In this book we also get a glimpse at some of the political figures who Victoria loved and hated.

All things considered, this book is an excellent introduction to a most unique lady.

This is one of my personal favorite illustrated children's books. A very Victoria-like Queen decides to go to the seashore. With her go her page boy, lady-in-waiting, bodyguard, groom, doctor, palace guard, maids, footman, and butler. And of course, her five Welsh Corgi dogs. "But it was a long, long walk to the seaside, and on the way everyone got rather hot and silly." The cartoon drawings of the Corgis running in terror from an alley cat, fainting, and begging the butler for help are just hysterical! The Queen sternly calls everyone to order, sets things straight, rescues the Corgis, and marches everyone down to the seashore for a marvelous day.

My mother and I read the Dick King Smith books together and "The Queen's Nose" was excellent! It is just one of the great books Dick King Smith has written.This story teaches you that there are some ways that wishes can come true but not all of them are as easy as 1 2 3. I loved this book! Go Dick King Smith Go!

Celest Davidson Mannis and Bagram Ibatoulline combine the genres of alphabet books and historical picture books and take both to new heights.

Each page presents a different letter, with the ornate, scrolly letter taking up most of the page. Clever quatrains about the featured letter are accompanied by a small chunk of text that further explains the significance of what's been described in the quatrain -- for example, X is for xanthus, and though the brief rhymed poem explains what a xanthus is, the prose at the bottom of the page offers historical information that justifies its inclusion in the book.

The illustrations are exquisite. I've been a fan of Ibatoulline's work for some time now, and the pictures in this book are period-perfect, with colors that bring to mind an illuminated manuscript.

It's also fun to go through each picture and try to find the page, the maid, and the dwarf who play important parts in the adventure story that is skillfully woven into the poems and prose.

This book works on so many different levels, older children and adults will find much to learn and enjoy here.

Two lonely princesses find friendship and love in this humorous and straightforward pair of tales. In the first story, a princess goes to school for the first time and finds the joy of the ordinary things in life such as jeans and school, while in the second, a princess searches for the prefect prince to scratch the unreachable itch in the center of her back. Yona learns that every father thinks his little girl is a princess, while Emma discovers that sometimes you have to do a lot of searching to find the perfect mate.
There are no damsels in distress here; it is a relief to see more princesses who think for themselves and solve their own problems. Morgenstern skillfully blends whimsy with the mundane and produces likeable characters in familiar situations. The cartoon-like line drawings add to the comic tales that are enhanced by pun, hyperbole and rhyme.
Not a necessity for collections, but if you have students with fairy tale assignments, these modern stories would pair nicely with fractured fairy tales. Place in the hands of younger fans of Gail Carson Levine.

Oh, to be a princess...that's the life...or is it. Susie Morgenstern dishes out two very clever stories that bring fairy tales and the magical life of royalty down to earth. In the first story, Princess Yona and her family fall on hard times, have to sell the huge, old castle, and move to a four room apartment in the city, where for the first time in her life she makes friends and finds out about a place called school. In the second, Princess Emma has a terrible, agonizing, unreachable itch right in the middle of her back, and decides that the prince who can scratch her itch out of existence, is the man she'll marry. Ms Morgenstern's easy to read prose is filled with droll humor and witty, laugh-out-loud scenes that lead to unpredictable and totally modern, happily-ever-after endings. Serge Bloch's simple black and white cartoon illustrations add a light and comical touch with their funny and expressive details. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, Princesses Are People, Too is sure to engage and entertain your little princess, as it takes a delightful look at some of the real problems facing modern royalty.