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Princess Smartypants
Princess Smartypants
Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married; she'd rather live with her pets. Commanded by her parents to find herself a husband, the Princess sets tasks for her horde of suitors. All of the potential husbands fail miserably as the gleeful Princess looks on — until Prince Swashbuckle appears. . . .
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 1987
12 people are currently reading
1257 people want to read
About the author
Babette Cole
109 books76 followersBabette Cole was a British children's author and illustrator. Born on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1949, she attended the Canterbury College of Art (now the University for the Creative Arts) and received first-class BA Honors. She worked on such children's programmes as Bagpuss (working with Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin) and Jackanory for BBC television.
As a children's writer, Cole created more than 150 picture books. Her best-seller Doctor Dog has been adapted as a successful children's cartoon series. Much of her work is earthy comedy, having titles like The Smelly Book, The Hairy Book, The Slimy Book and The Silly Book.
She spent her time writing, visiting schools and traveling. After a short illness she died on 15 January 2017, aged 66.
As a children's writer, Cole created more than 150 picture books. Her best-seller Doctor Dog has been adapted as a successful children's cartoon series. Much of her work is earthy comedy, having titles like The Smelly Book, The Hairy Book, The Slimy Book and The Silly Book.
She spent her time writing, visiting schools and traveling. After a short illness she died on 15 January 2017, aged 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
March 30, 2018
Princess Smartypants is happy with her life, even though many wish to marry her. To appease her family, the princess puts various suitors through a number of trials, all of which they fail. Thinking that she has finally proven that there is no need for a prince in her life, Prince Swashbuckle arrives to be put through his paces. Princess Smartypants is dazzled by his hard work and effort, offering him a sign of her affection. It is then that things take an interesting turn. Neo liked this story, though felt that it did not match up with many of the others he's read that relate to princesses in the past.
July 27, 2017
This was one of my absolute favourite picture books as I child. I read it over and over and over again; my copy is now in tatters.
February 13, 2016
Babette Cole has written many children’s books that seem to feature rebellious children. “Princess Smartypants” is certainly no exception. Babette Cole’s princess story has everything that both an adult and child would gladly appreciate: great sense of humor and a beautiful message about being yourself and standing up for what you believe is right.
Babette Cole did a marvelous job on both the story and the illustrations. The illustrations are as hilarious as they are exuberant. Babette Cole produces a more humorous touch on Princess Smartypants’ vicious pets as one image shows the two green dragons laughing at Prince Vertigo’s feeble attempt to climb Princess Smartypants’ glass tower. Also, the overall message of independence and confidence shines brightly in this story. Princess Smartypants enjoys doing activities that a civilized lady would not do such as, riding her motorbike over a pit of snakes and taking care of wild beasts and does not let anyone’s opinion about her doing these crazy stunts affect her. Then, when Prince Swashbuckle came and passed all of her impossible tasks, Princess Smartypants felt like her independence was being jeopardized as she would have to obey Prince Swashbuckle’s bidding if she marries him. Even though, most parents would think that her actions are somewhat vulgar to an extent, Princess Smartypants was only doing activities that satisfied her and that she was only trying to protect her state of being independent when Prince Swashbuckle passed all her tests.
Princess Smartypants” is probably one of Babette Cole’s greatest books ever created. This book is a creative story about a princess who just wanted to do the activities that she enjoys doing despite what her parents say. Also, Princess Smartypants is one of the few heroines who have lots of spunk and independence deep within themselves. “Princess Smartypants” is a perfect book for both kids and adults who enjoy messages about independence and confidence.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
September 6, 2012
My friends may be surprised that I'm only giving this book 3 stars, because it's about an independent princess who outwits all her would-be suitors so she can live by herself, take care of her pets, and have a good time. And I do like the story... yet, I can't quite put my finger on it, but... books like this and the Paper Bag Princess seem to reinforce the idea that, in order to be a feminist and be independent, (1) you have to be mean to men, because they are bad, and (2) you have to be alone. It seems the implication is that if the character did get married or even have male friends, she would automatically give up all her independence and become a mindless cooking-and-cleaning drone (or a mindless gown-wearing ball-attending drone). Because men/boys are bad, and women/girls can only escape them by completely rejecting them (and possibly terrorizing them with monster pets). So, yeah... I just can't totally get behind that.
October 3, 2021
Pictures are funny and creative, but in my opinion, the story, on the whole, is silly.
January 30, 2012
My seven year old girls had to reprimand me for my treatment of books as I was hurling this across the floor. From the lowbrow names of "Prince Pelvis, Swimbladder, Boneshaker, Grovel etc. and the overall disrespectful, non-familial attitudes to the man-hating, lying, deal breaking princess this book was feminist rubbish from top to bottom. Even the illustrations left nothing to recommend. I hate to be contrary, but I had to run for the mouthwash to get this bad taste out.
June 21, 2007
Princess Smartypants does not want to get married because she likes being a Ms. She wants to live her own life. Her parents want her to get married. She outwits her suitors and lives happily ever after because she doesn't get married.
I LOVE this book! What other book for kids says that girls don't have to get married and can have a complete and happy life without Prince Charming?
Princess Smartypants is my hero!
Every kid needs to read this book!
I LOVE this book! What other book for kids says that girls don't have to get married and can have a complete and happy life without Prince Charming?
Princess Smartypants is my hero!
Every kid needs to read this book!
May 6, 2015
I know Babette Cole. She has a little-girl English voice, sometimes little-girl clothes, lives on a boat for half the year and is altogether entertaining and eccentric. Although she has written prolifically she says she actually makes her money from selling the original paintings that illustrate her books. And those paintings are superb.
November 30, 2017
Oh, how my mother - a woman whose favorite shirt said If they can send one man to the moon, why not all of them? - would have loved this book!
Here we meet a strong, smart young lady who resists all attempts by others to "marry her off."
A fun, unusual story, with great illustrations by the author.
Here we meet a strong, smart young lady who resists all attempts by others to "marry her off."
A fun, unusual story, with great illustrations by the author.
January 4, 2015
I am a Ms. I am not a Mrs, and I like the idea of a story about an independent girl who doesn't want to be a Mrs, and is happy to be a Ms. But this story missed the mark. The princess comes across as deceitful, game-playing, dishonest and arrogant: more Princess Pants-on-Fire than Princess Smartypants.
The names of the male characters are derogatory, and when a prince does complete her list of complex tasks, instead of marrying him as promised, she turns him into a frog.
Rather than promote the idea of choice, this book seems to say either you 'conform' and get married, or, if you are an independent, strong woman, you must chose to be alone. It's black/white, all/nothing.
The main issue I have with this plot is the deceitful way she goes about getting what she wants: instead of just saying she doesn't love the men or doesn't want to be married, she plays games, then goes back on an agreement she shouldn't have agreed to in the first place.
I may be biased here: I'm married, am strong and capable of independent thought, but I still choose to be known as a Ms.
The names of the male characters are derogatory, and when a prince does complete her list of complex tasks, instead of marrying him as promised, she turns him into a frog.
Rather than promote the idea of choice, this book seems to say either you 'conform' and get married, or, if you are an independent, strong woman, you must chose to be alone. It's black/white, all/nothing.
The main issue I have with this plot is the deceitful way she goes about getting what she wants: instead of just saying she doesn't love the men or doesn't want to be married, she plays games, then goes back on an agreement she shouldn't have agreed to in the first place.
I may be biased here: I'm married, am strong and capable of independent thought, but I still choose to be known as a Ms.
September 8, 2010
Someone gave this to Owen for an early birthday. He allowed me to read it to him one time, because there were animals in it, but since it had a plot and human characters, it was not a favorite of his. I, on the other hand, thought it clever and fun, and I've read it to several appreciative children since then.
April 2, 2019
Decidí regalarme la lectura de este libro hoy Día Internacional del Libro Infantil. Babette es una autora que admiro muchísimo y este pequeño relato llegó justo a mi corazón. Ojalá puedan leerlo pronto.
January 9, 2020
Un cuento entrañable que refleja la sociedad que impone sus normas, sobre todo en las mujeres, que sufrimos la presión de tener que casarnos o ser madres.
April 7, 2017
After Babette Cole died in January, The Guardian summed up her career rather well: “She created books on the kinds of disgusting topics that children love and adults mostly do not, and then, emboldened by their success, she went on to more controversial subjects, partly because she liked to shock and partly because she felt she had a duty to make sure children were properly informed.”
Her publisher summed her up even more succinctly: “She was as mad as a box of frogs”.
Her most famous book is probably Princess Smartypants, a reimagining of the traditional fairytale in which the helpless princess is whisked off her feet by her prince charming. But in Babette Cole’s version, the princess is a fiercely independent woman who is pressured by her parents, the king and the queen, into finding a man. Her attitude is clear from the first line of the book:
And so, to humour her parents, the princess sets various seemingly impossible tasks for her suitors. One by one they fail, until the princess is left alone in her castle to carry on happily on her own. But then Prince Swashubuckle turns up, unexpectedly completes all her various challenges, and thinks he has won her heart. Instead, her kiss turns him into a warty toad and the princess lives happily ever after. Prince Swashbuckle presumably gets turned off women forever – human ones, at least.
Not much about Princess Smartypants is subtle. It does not have a feminist undertone, rather a feminist monotone. The main character is spoilt, selfish and mean. Poor Prince Swashbuckle was only trying to be kind, and she turned him into a toad. And yet, is any of that a problem? Probably not. Sometimes a good bashing over the head is necessary to get the message across.
It is worth noting that this book was written in 1986; 25 years later Australia had a female prime minister who was castigated for being “deliberately barren”, and a further five years down the track the USA has a president who says of women “grab them by the pussy”. So, yeah, still a fair way to go on the whole equality thing.
What is most fascinating – though not surprising – is the way that much of Babette Cole’s work divides opinion. A sample of Goodreads reader reviews of Princess Smartypants gives you the idea:
And this from a more measured 3-star review:
I should point out that all of these reviews were written by (or, at least, appear to have been written by) women. But if good art polarises opinion, the same is often true of good literature – and why not children’s literature, too?
Several of her other books similarly divide opinion, including Hair in Funny Places, which deals with puberty, and Mummy Laid an Egg, a book about the facts of life that features graphic illustrations of various adventurous sexual positions. Her work often dealt with serious issues in an absurd manner, and her cartoonish pictures only add to the effect.
One last note on Babette Cole, unrelated to this book. Although she was only 67 when she died in January, she was lucky to have lived that long. Two years ago she was nearly killed when she was trampled by a herd of cows. She suffered broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and lacerations all over her body. Her left ear was left hanging off and had to be stitched back on by a cosmetic surgeon.
But her final word in the aftermath of the ordeal rather summed up her ability to shock. How would she deal with cows now? "I'm going to eat a lot more steak!" she said.
http://dadreads.blogspot.com.au/2017/...
Her publisher summed her up even more succinctly: “She was as mad as a box of frogs”.
Her most famous book is probably Princess Smartypants, a reimagining of the traditional fairytale in which the helpless princess is whisked off her feet by her prince charming. But in Babette Cole’s version, the princess is a fiercely independent woman who is pressured by her parents, the king and the queen, into finding a man. Her attitude is clear from the first line of the book:
Princess Smartypants did not want to get married. She enjoyed being a Ms.
And so, to humour her parents, the princess sets various seemingly impossible tasks for her suitors. One by one they fail, until the princess is left alone in her castle to carry on happily on her own. But then Prince Swashubuckle turns up, unexpectedly completes all her various challenges, and thinks he has won her heart. Instead, her kiss turns him into a warty toad and the princess lives happily ever after. Prince Swashbuckle presumably gets turned off women forever – human ones, at least.
Not much about Princess Smartypants is subtle. It does not have a feminist undertone, rather a feminist monotone. The main character is spoilt, selfish and mean. Poor Prince Swashbuckle was only trying to be kind, and she turned him into a toad. And yet, is any of that a problem? Probably not. Sometimes a good bashing over the head is necessary to get the message across.
It is worth noting that this book was written in 1986; 25 years later Australia had a female prime minister who was castigated for being “deliberately barren”, and a further five years down the track the USA has a president who says of women “grab them by the pussy”. So, yeah, still a fair way to go on the whole equality thing.
What is most fascinating – though not surprising – is the way that much of Babette Cole’s work divides opinion. A sample of Goodreads reader reviews of Princess Smartypants gives you the idea:
"Not only is it funny and cute, it teaches children that no matter what, they don't have to compromise their boundaries and they don't have to conform to society's expectations." (From a 5-star review)
"From the lowbrow names of "Prince Pelvis, Swimbladder, Boneshaker, Grovel etc. and the overall disrespectful, non-familial attitudes to the man-hating, lying, deal breaking princess this book was feminist rubbish from top to bottom." (From a 1-star review)
"...great sense of humor and a beautiful message about being yourself and standing up for what you believe is right." (From a 5-star revew)
"This book seems to be telling girls that they would be better off without a husband and family. Definitely not the message I want to share with my little girls." (From a 1-star review).
And this from a more measured 3-star review:
"Books like this and the Paper Bag Princess seem to reinforce the idea that, in order to be a feminist and be independent, (1) you have to be mean to men, because they are bad, and (2) you have to be alone. It seems the implication is that if the character did get married or even have male friends, she would automatically give up all her independence and become a mindless cooking-and-cleaning drone (or a mindless gown-wearing ball-attending drone)."
I should point out that all of these reviews were written by (or, at least, appear to have been written by) women. But if good art polarises opinion, the same is often true of good literature – and why not children’s literature, too?
Several of her other books similarly divide opinion, including Hair in Funny Places, which deals with puberty, and Mummy Laid an Egg, a book about the facts of life that features graphic illustrations of various adventurous sexual positions. Her work often dealt with serious issues in an absurd manner, and her cartoonish pictures only add to the effect.
One last note on Babette Cole, unrelated to this book. Although she was only 67 when she died in January, she was lucky to have lived that long. Two years ago she was nearly killed when she was trampled by a herd of cows. She suffered broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and lacerations all over her body. Her left ear was left hanging off and had to be stitched back on by a cosmetic surgeon.
But her final word in the aftermath of the ordeal rather summed up her ability to shock. How would she deal with cows now? "I'm going to eat a lot more steak!" she said.
http://dadreads.blogspot.com.au/2017/...
August 13, 2019
I like the “princesses don’t need princes” theme, but Princess Smartypants is not a nice person.
October 22, 2017
Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole
Genre: Fairy tale
Age group: K-2nd grade
Princess Smartypants is a princess who does not want to get married. She likes to be alone with her pets. Her parents wants her to get married so she set up a bunch of tasks for the princes to complete in order for her to marry him. Princes came from all over but not one could finish the tasks until Prince Swashbuckle came and he finished everything asked. In the end Princess Smartypants kissed him and he turned into a frog.
I like how Princess Smartypants is independent and unlike other princess stories she did not need a man to marry to be happy. I am not a big fan of the end and how she turned the prince into a frog to get rid of any suitor that wants to marry her. It was confusing how it ended. Also with the illustrations there was not cultural diversity with the suitors that came to see Princess Smartypants. There was more diversity in the pets than in the other characters. All together the book was a fun story and I like how the book was throughout colorful and had lots of details in the drawings.
Genre: Fairy tale
Age group: K-2nd grade
Princess Smartypants is a princess who does not want to get married. She likes to be alone with her pets. Her parents wants her to get married so she set up a bunch of tasks for the princes to complete in order for her to marry him. Princes came from all over but not one could finish the tasks until Prince Swashbuckle came and he finished everything asked. In the end Princess Smartypants kissed him and he turned into a frog.
I like how Princess Smartypants is independent and unlike other princess stories she did not need a man to marry to be happy. I am not a big fan of the end and how she turned the prince into a frog to get rid of any suitor that wants to marry her. It was confusing how it ended. Also with the illustrations there was not cultural diversity with the suitors that came to see Princess Smartypants. There was more diversity in the pets than in the other characters. All together the book was a fun story and I like how the book was throughout colorful and had lots of details in the drawings.
July 6, 2017
Blah blah alternative princess cliche of forgoing marriage as girl empowerment; I think girls who wanna get married will be fine unless this is the only piece of media they ever consume
I really like it as a picture book about an ill-tempered girl who just wants to hang out with monsters.
I really like it as a picture book about an ill-tempered girl who just wants to hang out with monsters.
July 30, 2022
We need more children’s books like this one! It has such an important message for girls: You don’t need a prince to live happily ever after. In fact, it’s completely okay to prefer to live alone! Oh, and it’s also hilarious. Read it yourself, and read it to your kids! :)
January 31, 2024
princess smartypants’ parents told her to find a husband, but she didn’t want one, so she set them all impossible tasks in the hope that everyone would leave her alone and she’d be able to live in her castle with her pets in peace. one day, a prince came along who could do all the tasks she asked, so she turned him into a toad. everyone found out about this and left her alone to live her best single life.
what a woman!!! why did no one give this to me as a kid??!
3.5 stars
what a woman!!! why did no one give this to me as a kid??!
3.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2025
A little bit disappointing. Oh there was cleverness. But the Princess shouldn't have had to work so hard to say no. And she was kind of mean-spirited about it. Which was fair, but made for a less good book.
August 4, 2018
A little too earnest, but still silly fun. And I love the princes' names: they're all vocabulary words like Vertigo, Grovel, and Fetlock.
April 28, 2024
HAHAH that was incredible, she’s an icon
September 7, 2018
Certainly a different take on traditional fairy tales. I have to admit it made me a little sad to think that the princess couldn't find someone she wanted to be with. It's nice to do your own thing and have all the pets you want, but there are times when you need another person in your life, whether it's a spouse or a friend. (Maybe I'm being a bit too serious?)
November 7, 2012
This story is about an unconventional princess who doesn’t want to get married. She likes to spend time with her unusual pets and ride her motorbike. When suitors come to marry her she teaches all the princes a lesson by giving them horrible challenges to overcome so they run away. All except one prince who is very clever and passes all the challenges set by princess smartypants. She isn’t amused and teaches him an ultimate lesson. Princess Smartypants kisses the prince and he turns into a frog.
What I liked about this story is that it was very unique and not conventional. It depicts a princess in a manner that is not common in pupils’ eyes. When children think of a princess they like to think about someone beautiful and graceful and kind, this princess is none of those things. Babette Cole has been very creative in using humour in this story, e.g. the names of the princes and the name of the princess.
I think this book will be well suited for guided reading for ages from 8-10. This is because in order to understand the aspects of humour and creativeness of the authors writing the children need to have some knowledge and understanding of particular grammar. This book will help in guided reading as it can get pupils predicting throughout the book, therefore enforcing them to experiment ideas and thoughts into discussion. Just by looking at the title and the picture the pupils can try guessing what they think the book would be about. It is also easy to make connections to a pupil from this book e.g. being different and like adventurous things. Pupils are also able to make text connections e.g. the story of the princess and the frog or even the animation of Shrek.
It is a story that allows pupils to generate their own question of what they want to know so further develops good discussion. I also believe it helps in guided reading because it includes elements of inferring, therefore reading between the lines and help develop in a pupil’s mind the implicit meaning of the book.
What I liked about this story is that it was very unique and not conventional. It depicts a princess in a manner that is not common in pupils’ eyes. When children think of a princess they like to think about someone beautiful and graceful and kind, this princess is none of those things. Babette Cole has been very creative in using humour in this story, e.g. the names of the princes and the name of the princess.
I think this book will be well suited for guided reading for ages from 8-10. This is because in order to understand the aspects of humour and creativeness of the authors writing the children need to have some knowledge and understanding of particular grammar. This book will help in guided reading as it can get pupils predicting throughout the book, therefore enforcing them to experiment ideas and thoughts into discussion. Just by looking at the title and the picture the pupils can try guessing what they think the book would be about. It is also easy to make connections to a pupil from this book e.g. being different and like adventurous things. Pupils are also able to make text connections e.g. the story of the princess and the frog or even the animation of Shrek.
It is a story that allows pupils to generate their own question of what they want to know so further develops good discussion. I also believe it helps in guided reading because it includes elements of inferring, therefore reading between the lines and help develop in a pupil’s mind the implicit meaning of the book.
June 5, 2019
This book was truly disgusting. This is indoctrination of feminism and not standard feminism about equality but 3rd wave, man hating feminism. The authors detest of men, patriarchy etc is very strong here. The book interprets old childhood stories such as sleeping beauty, repunzel and others as if written with devilish evil intent and is a snarky rebuttal of those. That’s fine if you were writing this to the authors of those tales, but you’re not...you’re writing to kids. Kids who have no idea why or to who this aggressive venom is pointed at or what it’s rebutting. As parents, if we don’t want our kids to see content depicting a damsel in distress, we just don’t show it to them. The answer is not to have books such as this aggressively having a snarky counter arguments. You shouldn’t use kids this way. Kids never made that initial material and kids don’t need to see your passive aggressiveness responding to it. Whoever wrote this should be ashamed. We had this pulled from rotation at our kids prep as the school agrees that material pushing political agendas shouldn’t be read to kids. Again, shame on you. What a disgusting book this was. It wasn’t funny, informative or anything...it just stank of a radical feminist agenda and that was the entire purpose of this book. You want to show men and women are equal, just write a book where they are equal, it doesn’t even need to be said. Leave the rest to your personal blog or just discuss it with your many cats.
October 11, 2013
Princess Smartypants (Bengali and English Edition)
By Babette Cole
Princess Smartypants enjoys unmarried life, living with her pets and doing as she pleases. Her parents, the King and Queen, want her to get married. She decides that whoever accomplishes her taks will win her hand in marriage. After lots of princes failed to meet her demands, she meets Prince Swashbuckle. He does all her tasks so she gives him the magic kiss, only to discover that he turns into a gigantic toad! When the other princes heard what happened to Prince Smartypants, on of them wanted to marry the princess ... so she lived happily ever after.
I would recommend that the suitable age range for this book is early Key Stage One because the book is easy to read as there are only two sentences per page. I think that this humourous and engaging storybook would be great to use in guided reading, as well as keeping in the book corner for independent reading. There is alot of repetition and exclamations in the book. There are lots of funny, eye-catching illustrations which will capture the attention of a child.
This version of the story is translated in Bengali which is great for EAL children whose first language is Bengali. The book is also useful for all EAL pupils as I feel that the pictures tell the story really well.
By Babette Cole
Princess Smartypants enjoys unmarried life, living with her pets and doing as she pleases. Her parents, the King and Queen, want her to get married. She decides that whoever accomplishes her taks will win her hand in marriage. After lots of princes failed to meet her demands, she meets Prince Swashbuckle. He does all her tasks so she gives him the magic kiss, only to discover that he turns into a gigantic toad! When the other princes heard what happened to Prince Smartypants, on of them wanted to marry the princess ... so she lived happily ever after.
I would recommend that the suitable age range for this book is early Key Stage One because the book is easy to read as there are only two sentences per page. I think that this humourous and engaging storybook would be great to use in guided reading, as well as keeping in the book corner for independent reading. There is alot of repetition and exclamations in the book. There are lots of funny, eye-catching illustrations which will capture the attention of a child.
This version of the story is translated in Bengali which is great for EAL children whose first language is Bengali. The book is also useful for all EAL pupils as I feel that the pictures tell the story really well.
April 28, 2013
I loved this book as it is about a princess that unlike many girls is not bothered about her title, fame or fortune. This princess doesn't want to be a queen: She likes her motorcycle, her dragon friends, and her independence! In this feminist reworking of a classic fairy-tale theme, Princess Smartypants defies her parents' wishes, outwits her suitors, and remains a content and single young lady. The text and illustrations are full of humour.
I would argue that this is highly accessible for children of all ages due to the humourous subtext and comical illustrations. It is perfect for story time or a stimulus for creative writing. Highly recommend!
I would argue that this is highly accessible for children of all ages due to the humourous subtext and comical illustrations. It is perfect for story time or a stimulus for creative writing. Highly recommend!
May 4, 2012
I really enjoyed this book by Babette Cole. The princess in this tale doesn't want to get married, but to get her parents off her back, she sets forth a challenge for each suitor to try and win her hand. They each fail in a comic collection of terrible tasks, until Prince Swashbuckle succeeds. Fortunately for Princess Smartypants, he turns into a toad when she kisses him and all other Princes are put off the idea of marrying her. She is then able to relax and live happily ever after
A perfectly illustrated humorous book for 4 - 8 year old children.
A perfectly illustrated humorous book for 4 - 8 year old children.
February 7, 2009
A bit of a man-hating book. Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married so she comes up with Herculean tasks for her suitors. All but one leave, and when he accomplishes all the tasks, she turns him into a toad. Now that she's rid of him, she is free to live happily ever after, alone with her pets. Hmmmm... The illustrations are fun and the writing is interesting, but I'm not sure it sends a good message.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2011
Princess Smartypants is bit on the extreme side of feminism for me. My five year old girl seemed to like it, but I found myself cringing and refusing to read it to her whenever she asked for it. Can't take this one back to the library fast enough.
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