The Princesses Have a Ball

by Teresa Bateman, Lynne Avril (Illustrator)

Every night twelve princesses wear out their shoes. The king wonders what his daughters are up to at night. But with the help of a clever cobbler, the perfect shoes, and a very special ball, the princesses soon make their own dreams come true!

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Sports, Princesses

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Teresa Bateman was born in Moscow, Idaho, but moved to Washington State when she was three-years-old and that's where she has lived most of her life.

An avid writer and reader, Teresa has been making up stories and poems since she was in grade school. "To me it was as natural as breathing," says Teresa.

In school Teresa would drive her teachers crazy by 'creatively' completing assignments. She always met the letter of their assignment, if not the spirit. She worked hard to inject some humor into her work, knowing that the teachers would be reading hundreds of papers and wanting hers to stand out. It worked.

Teresa took English classes for fun in college and when she applied for a Washington State Teaching credential, the state looked at her transcripts and added an endorsement to teach English through the 12th grade!

Teresa cites her teacher Donnell Hunter at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, as having a big influence on her and her writing. He published a class magazine to which the class submitted their work under pen names. Their grades depended on how many stories were included in the magazine. Teresa submitted under about 15 different pen names--just to be annoying! But she knew her work was being judged on its merits alone. Mr. Hunter encouraged her journal writing and instilled in Teresa good writing habits that she continues to this day.

Teresa served an 18-month mission for her church in Argentina, and taught school for a year in Honduras. She also taught school briefly in St. Mary's, Alaska -- a little bush village with a population of 500 in the winter and 50 in the summer. She has been a librarian in the Federal Way School District in Washington for over 30 years.

Teresa writes every single day. She also works full-time, so that means some days she doesn't write much, but she always writes. When at home, Teresa's special spot for writing has a good view of the lilac bushes outside. A picture of a winding path through gentle rolling hills and meadows hangs on the wall. She tells herself, when stuck for an idea, that the story lies at the end of that path.

Teresa lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teresa Bateman, who has drawn upon the Irish folk tradition in creating such original tales as The Ring of Truth and Fiona's Luck , here turns her attention to the classic German fairy-tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses , offering a modern remake with rhyming text. When the king sees that his daughters' shoes are worn out every morning, he demands an answer, and many are the investigators that arrive, intent on solving the mystery. But it is only Jack the Cobbler who understands what's really going on. Can he convince the princesses to confide in their father...?

I liked the idea of The Princesses Have a Ball, and its message that girls' athleticism is in no way unfeminine - that it is something to be encouraged. Like Debbie Allen's African-American remake of this tale, Brothers of the Knight , it takes a traditional narrative and emphasizes one element, in order to tell a new story. Girls play ball here, they don't go to balls! But although I appreciated Bateman's purpose, and thought this worked as a fractured fairy-tale (I can be an exacting critic, in this respect), the text itself just didn't appeal to me. The rhymes were forced, and felt amateurish, to the point that they distracted from the story. I can see that most other reviewers really loved this one, but I'm going to have to dissent: good idea, but poor execution. I don't recommend it.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The message is fun, as are the cartoony illustrations. The rhyme bounces appropriately. But both me and my inner child are frustrated by all the poorly depicted details. For example, why did the king adopt stair-step girls, and where is the queen? Why don't they wear socks or stockings? Whatever happened to the king's desire to see them wedded to princes? Does the cobbler get a reward?

I totally respect the opinions of readers who liked it more than I did. And if you have a girl who is too caught up in pink princess stuff, you might want to read this with her. But it wasn't good enough for *me* to get more than two stars.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern take on the classic story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, where the only ball these girls are interested in is used in a different kind of court. I have never been a fan of the original tale, though I don't much fancy sports either I do appreciate the women's liberation feel this twist brings.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your traditional princess story! That's what I liked about it!

[Michelle Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really delightful twist on the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swapping dainty dancing for hoops and hoots, this upbeat spin on The Twelve Dancing Princesses brings rhyme, spring and spirit to the age old tale.

You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.

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Rumplestilskin’s Daughter
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Swine Lake
The Crow
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The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff
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We’d love to hear your thoughts on a favourite children’s book. Leave a voice message on our JOMB listener hotline, +1-206-350-6487, so we can include your audio in our show.

[Catherine Toca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was incredibly clever and a great little read! A major bonus is that it is a rhyming book!

The story is a fractured fairy tale, based off of the twelve dancing princesses. In the original story, the princesses wear out their shoes night after night by going dancing at the ball. This story is not quite the same!

The princesses in this story still wear out their shoes every night but it's not by dancing; it's by playing basketball! These princesses love to get out on the court every night and play so long that their shoes wear through. What I especially love about this is that this book is defying the stereotypical gender roles and letting young kids know that girls can enjoy basketball too; and be good at it!

The illustrations of this book are very nice. The illustrator is able to capture movement well, which is great for a book about basketball. Many of the illustrations have a border which helps to capture the traditional fairytale feel. The colors are fairly muted but that doesn't detract from the pictures.

This book should be a definite read. It is clever, rhymed, and has a great message.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: The princesses in the castle are going through a new pair of shoes everyday. The shoemaker know they are using them for athletics, so investigates and finds them playing basketball late at night. The shoemaker makes a better kind of shoe more suitable for the princesses, when they tell the king about playing basketball he invites guests over for a royal "ball".

Reflection:
Very cute princess story with the use of sports. Great illustrations and occasional rhyming.

THemes/Connections: princesses, women athletes, fairytales

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A re-telling of the fairy tale about princesses who disappear from their rooms each night and dance the night away. These princesses, however, have a different passion. The local cobbler figures it out and helps the girls reveal their secret to their father the King. Consequences are not as dire as the girls had feared, and they all live happily ever after. Awwwww, sweet! Bonus: the princesses are all labeled as sisters, there’s diversity in skin color and appearance among them, AND at no point does the story feel compelled to give an explanation for that.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was so good. The Princesses Have a Ball would be a good book for an early reader, and would be great for a read-aloud book. This book teaches young girls that they don't have to dance or dream about their princes, but can have fun playing basketball or any other sport. Girls in athletic competition and sneaking around at night are a couuple issues raised in this book. The words written on the pages are confirmed with pictures.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, somewhat-updated version of the Twelve Dancing Princess fairy tale. The story still takes place in a castle with a king and twelve princesses, but some of the details, including the reason the shoes of the princesses are worn out each night, have been modernized. The mix of medieval and modern is part of the charm of this story. The rhyming text was a little annoying in a few places, but overall I liked the message and the fun illustrations.

[Becky H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve princess keep wearing out their shoes and their father, the king, can't figure out why. The cobbler investigates and discovers their secret sport they play all night. He then designs special shoes for them to wear and encourages the girls to tell their father the truth. In the end the king and his princesses all play basketball together.
Very cute story and twist to a classic fairytale.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I really enjoyed this book. Having a basketball loving princess of my own, it was a perfect fit for her personality. I also like the illustrations. The king's 12 daughters are of various races... something I'm always excited to see in a family in a picture book, especially when it's taken for granted and not the main point of the story.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:
Based on the fairy tale, the king is baffled why every morning his daughters are tired and their shoes are worn out. Who will solve their mystery?

This is a good story to read after reading The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspected that Teresa Bateman would have something good for me, and I was not wrong. Perhaps if I'd paid more attention to the cover, I would have guessed what was coming, but I totally missed it and therefore was pleasantly surprised and amused.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! The 12 dancing princesses are having a secret ball: it's a basket-ball. This was a big hit in my household. I like the somewhat multiracial group of princesses, and I also like that it doesn't end in a romantic plot. The rhymes were occasionally a little forced but otherwise, a good read.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret and I took turns to read this one. One page at a time.

Nice play on words which M appreciated.

Another rhyming one ...

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. The king is wearing a polo shirt and kackis along with his ermine robe. It was written in poem form and rolled easily in the mouth. My girls loved this book.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sporty alternative telling of Twelve Dancing Princesses. Perfect picture book for princesses that prefer Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

[Katey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a funny and strange book. This book will sure help develope predicting. You can look at the front and try to guess what they are doing. I'm not so sure its your typical "ball"

[Kristen Leininger]

Picture Book: This was a cute, clever book. I liked the play on the word "ball."

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so adorable. The author is actually my cousin, This is my favorite of her books that I have read.

[joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire* · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a fun picture book version of the twelve dancing princesses!

[Leyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was cute! A different version of the Twelve Dancing Princesses plus sports. I think showing girls in sports is a good way to teach and learn about girl power. Everything is possible!!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses with a clever and pun-y twist. The illustrations are great. Unfortunately, the rhymes are so forced I dread reading it aloud.

[Rommel Sison]

6-year-old daughter: 5 stars
5-year-old daughter: 3 stars