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Maiden & Princess
In this modern fairy tale, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince's royal ball, but at the dance, she ends up finding true love in a most surprising place.
Once in a faraway kingdom, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince's royal ball, but she's not as excited to go as everyone else. After her mother convinces her to make an appearance, she makes a huge impression on everyone present, from the villagers to the king and queen, but she ends up finding true love in a most surprising place.
Once in a faraway kingdom, a strong, brave maiden is invited to attend the prince's royal ball, but she's not as excited to go as everyone else. After her mother convinces her to make an appearance, she makes a huge impression on everyone present, from the villagers to the king and queen, but she ends up finding true love in a most surprising place.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2019
About the author
Daniel Haack
5 books114 followersDaniel Haack began writing at a young age, although much of his earliest work centered exclusively around his desire to be a swashbuckling hero. Like the Prince and the Knight, he just wants to save the day and get the boy, too. He has since written for various publications and collections, and Prince & Knight is his debut children’s book. He graduated from Ithaca College and is a Saul Zaentz Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently works in children’s educational media, for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award. Originally from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, and formerly a New Yorker, Daniel now lives in Los Angeles, California. Find out more about Daniel at danielhaack.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
May 22, 2026
"Once in a faraway kingdom, a call was made to all.In this story, we follow a brave maiden who fought in armor and swung her sword side-by-side with the prince...but try as she might, she cannot muster enthusiasm to attend his ball.
To find their son a worthy bride, the king and queen would host a ball."
Her mother convinces the Maiden to attend the dance anyway, after all, it still may be fun. (It wasn't).
...she confided in her mother, "But if I'm being honest, I see him as a brother."
But then the Maiden stepped onto a nearby balcony and met someone wholly unexpected.
And so, the Maiden and the Princess fell in love.
"A beautiful girl emerged who took the maiden's breath away.
...summoning all her courage, she took the girl's hand in her own."
This one was so sweet and so wonderfully open about love.
I've read quite a few books where relationships are alluded to, so it's always so refreshing when the author actually shows relationship development and boldly says that the maiden has fallen for the princess.
The story itself did go beyond the simple meet-cute. I really liked how we were able to see why the Maiden and the Princess fell for each other - from shared interests to adventures!
And let's give a shout out to the parents who were immediately accepting of their daughter's wishes - seeing parents whose only goal is their child's happiness warms my heart.
All in all, this was a lovely story!
March 22, 2019
i loved prince & knight when i first read it. art? beautiful! story? so cute! normalizing queer romance? priceless!
today i stumbled across maiden & princess. i barely even looked at it before i had purchased it. when i got home i opened it up and read it... and started crying on page one. didn't stop till after i finished the book.
this book has:
-BEAUTIFUL art!
-a simple, romantic, but easy to follow story (perfect for most ages to read or have read to them)
-a BLACK royal family!!!
-a happy ending
-a DRAGON
this is the sort of book that would have changed my life as a child. it also may have helped with the bullying i faced for having two moms. now it can help my nieces normalize queer romance in their own childhoods.
i can't wait to give this to them.
today i stumbled across maiden & princess. i barely even looked at it before i had purchased it. when i got home i opened it up and read it... and started crying on page one. didn't stop till after i finished the book.
this book has:
-BEAUTIFUL art!
-a simple, romantic, but easy to follow story (perfect for most ages to read or have read to them)
-a BLACK royal family!!!
-a happy ending
-a DRAGON
this is the sort of book that would have changed my life as a child. it also may have helped with the bullying i faced for having two moms. now it can help my nieces normalize queer romance in their own childhoods.
i can't wait to give this to them.
October 13, 2019
Neither the art or verse is particularly strong, but I'll give a bonus star for inclusivity of race and LGBTQ in a children's picture book.
September 3, 2023
My kid was more interested in the maiden's pet dragon than in the queer love story with the princess, but we both enjoyed it! I like how the people in the illustrations are racially diverse even though it's a traditional fantasy setting.
April 16, 2019
Author Daniel Haack, whose same-sex picture-book fairy-tale romance,
Prince & Knight
, came out last year (2018), joins forces with co-author Isabel Galupo in this return to the form. Invited to the prince's ball, the eponymous maiden, who fights alongside the prince as a warrior, and considers him a brother, isn't initially inclined to go, until her mother convinces her to give it a try. Once at the ball, the maiden feels pressured by the other attendees, who seem to think she would be the perfect wife for him. Escaping to the balcony, she meets a beautiful stranger with a kind voice, and is immediately smitten. It turns out that the maiden has met her match, not in the form of the prince, but in the princess...
Although its heart is in the right place, somehow Maiden & Princess just didn't win me over, the same way that Prince & Knight did. The occasional instances of awkwardness in the rhyming text that I perceived in the earlier book seemed more frequent here, and were distracting. I'm not sure why it was necessary for Daniel Haack to have a co-author for Maiden & Princess, or what effect that had upon the text - perhaps having two authors made the weaknesses I perceived in the first title more pronounced? Whatever the case might be, I definitely noticed the textual hiccups more frequently here. Leaving that issue aside, I also found the artwork, done by British illustrator Becca Human, rather unappealing. It was colorful and expressive, but somehow the style didn't suit me, and felt distracting. In trying to articulate why that is, at first I thought that perhaps I simply preferred the work of Stevie Lewis, who illustrated Prince & Knight . While this is certainly true, I think it's also that Human's style was reminiscent of the old Prince Valiant comic strip, if a overly pink and purple rainbow had thrown up all over it. That is, perhaps, too harsh a criticism for illustrations that simply didn't appeal to me, but there you have it. This was a two-and-a-half-star title for me, although I would still recommend it to those seeking same-sex fairy-tales, given the dearth of other options.
Although its heart is in the right place, somehow Maiden & Princess just didn't win me over, the same way that Prince & Knight did. The occasional instances of awkwardness in the rhyming text that I perceived in the earlier book seemed more frequent here, and were distracting. I'm not sure why it was necessary for Daniel Haack to have a co-author for Maiden & Princess, or what effect that had upon the text - perhaps having two authors made the weaknesses I perceived in the first title more pronounced? Whatever the case might be, I definitely noticed the textual hiccups more frequently here. Leaving that issue aside, I also found the artwork, done by British illustrator Becca Human, rather unappealing. It was colorful and expressive, but somehow the style didn't suit me, and felt distracting. In trying to articulate why that is, at first I thought that perhaps I simply preferred the work of Stevie Lewis, who illustrated Prince & Knight . While this is certainly true, I think it's also that Human's style was reminiscent of the old Prince Valiant comic strip, if a overly pink and purple rainbow had thrown up all over it. That is, perhaps, too harsh a criticism for illustrations that simply didn't appeal to me, but there you have it. This was a two-and-a-half-star title for me, although I would still recommend it to those seeking same-sex fairy-tales, given the dearth of other options.
March 31, 2019
I liked the story as much as Prince and Knight, maybe a little more. However I like the art style of Prince and Knight more than this one.
That being said, both are incredibly cute and great books to put in the library of any child. I think they’re crucial to introduce children to same-gender relationships, relationships outside of heteronormativity and instill in them that a woman and a woman or a man and a man can be in love. So they don’t grow up equating that romance to just sexual relationships as we’ve seen some adults do.
That being said, both are incredibly cute and great books to put in the library of any child. I think they’re crucial to introduce children to same-gender relationships, relationships outside of heteronormativity and instill in them that a woman and a woman or a man and a man can be in love. So they don’t grow up equating that romance to just sexual relationships as we’ve seen some adults do.
February 19, 2022
I CRIED A LITTLE AT WORK
August 30, 2022
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Absolutely adorable. The art style is beautiful, the rhyme scheme flows so well. Such casual positive sapphic representation. This was perfect.
April 5, 2019
I wanted to like this book because I like what it's trying to do, but somehow I didn't. The rhyming was pretty clunky and it just felt too pat to me, but maybe that's the point.
February 15, 2025
I loved everything about this - the setting, the artwork, the flow of the rhymes and story, the diverse and accepting village, the loving parents -and the ending was perfection.
September 21, 2019
Adorable.
December 14, 2022
An important fairy tale type story similar to Cinderella where the King and Queen hold a ball for the prince. The warrior maiden knows him from battle. They're friends but she considers him like a brother. She's pressured into going to the ball and when she leaves early... the plot twist happens. This story is a little cheesy in the way love at first sight stories usually are but I appreciated the romance between two women. I also strongly appreciate how the maiden is a warrior and not a princess or a servant girl.
I did not like how she was pressured into going to the ball in the first place when she clearly felt uncomfortable. Now we have inclusive stories, we need to work on that problem of being pressured to conform.
The story is like a fairy tale told in verse.
The illustrations are too modern for me but they're colorful and eye catching. Most importantly, one illustrations depicts the two women holding hands and another one of the two women kissing. The next spread shows them doing activities they enjoy together before riding off on a dragon after saying "I do!"
I did not like how she was pressured into going to the ball in the first place when she clearly felt uncomfortable. Now we have inclusive stories, we need to work on that problem of being pressured to conform.
The story is like a fairy tale told in verse.
The illustrations are too modern for me but they're colorful and eye catching. Most importantly, one illustrations depicts the two women holding hands and another one of the two women kissing. The next spread shows them doing activities they enjoy together before riding off on a dragon after saying "I do!"
October 18, 2019
GOD THIS IS AS CUTE AS PRINCE & KNIGHT!! The art is bright and lovely and the story melts your heart.
ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee
ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee
May 2, 2022
Beautiful, richly colored artwork accompanied by a simple, soothing rhyming sequence and a totally adorable and heart-eyes-worthy story!!
June 8, 2023
So so cute! I love how both this book and "Prince & Knight" are not only normalizing queer relationships for kids, but highlighting the protagonists' joy and the background characters' acceptance. Haack is changing the canon of fairytales for children to grow up with a better understanding of inclusivity, and I love it.
April 3, 2019
When this came across my desk, I knew that it was going to be one of the books I read this year. Maiden & Princess is from the same author as Prince & Knight. And just as welcome in the landscape of familiar fairy tales.
This tome has a different vibe to it from the author's first. Mr Haack wrote both tales but the illustrators are different in style. Those familiar with Prince & Knight will recall that the pictures were much the softer colors and style of a traditional heteronormative fairy tale. Here the style is bolder and inkier.
The prose is a more formal but still tells a tale of two people who fall for each other and build upon that in a model of a healthy relationship. Quite an agreeable point of this book is that all different colored people populate in this kingdom from a variety cultures (going from their clothes at the ball).
And in a toss up of the rescue-a-maiden-from-a-dragon, the maiden has a dragon! Yeah! How can a story not made even better with a dragon? Overall, this book is a win and, dare I say, needed addition to children's storybooks.
This tome has a different vibe to it from the author's first. Mr Haack wrote both tales but the illustrators are different in style. Those familiar with Prince & Knight will recall that the pictures were much the softer colors and style of a traditional heteronormative fairy tale. Here the style is bolder and inkier.
The prose is a more formal but still tells a tale of two people who fall for each other and build upon that in a model of a healthy relationship. Quite an agreeable point of this book is that all different colored people populate in this kingdom from a variety cultures (going from their clothes at the ball).
And in a toss up of the rescue-a-maiden-from-a-dragon, the maiden has a dragon! Yeah! How can a story not made even better with a dragon? Overall, this book is a win and, dare I say, needed addition to children's storybooks.
April 2, 2019
Fans of Prince & Knight will love this new LGBTQ love story featuring a diverse cast of characters. A celebratory read.
February 6, 2022
What a lovely LBGTQ rhyming picture book for children. A warrior maiden is expected to wed her friend, the prince, but he is only like a brother to her. At the ball, alone and miserable on a balcony, she meets and falls in love with his sister.
I wasn't sure about the art at first, but it ended up being the best for this story. The maiden's adventures and battles are told in flashback and snippets as well. I like her little dragon companion, though, that grows bigger as the maiden and the princess grow closer together. Nice subtle touch there. Brilliant diversity too, with the POC leads.
'Maiden & Princess' - Short, simple, cute and relevant. Add it to kids' reading lists along with 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' and 'Princess Princess Ever After'.
Now I have to wait for Daniel Haack's other LBGTQ picture book, 'Prince & Knight', from the mail. Get here already!
Final Score: 4/5
I wasn't sure about the art at first, but it ended up being the best for this story. The maiden's adventures and battles are told in flashback and snippets as well. I like her little dragon companion, though, that grows bigger as the maiden and the princess grow closer together. Nice subtle touch there. Brilliant diversity too, with the POC leads.
'Maiden & Princess' - Short, simple, cute and relevant. Add it to kids' reading lists along with 'A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo' and 'Princess Princess Ever After'.
Now I have to wait for Daniel Haack's other LBGTQ picture book, 'Prince & Knight', from the mail. Get here already!
Final Score: 4/5
June 11, 2019
As with the author's Prince & Knight, I wanted to like this book. But it is riddled with the same problems as that one--namely, the text is clunky, awkward, and shoehorned into a forced rhyme scheme. The illustrations here don't save this one from failure as they did in Prince & Knight--something about them is just not quite right, and proportions seem to change from one scene to another--the overall effect is off-putting. A nice idea here, and certainly addresses a void in children's literature; that books about two women falling in love, especially in an appealing fairy-tale format, are needed is true understatement. Unfortunately, this is not the book to help fill said vacuum--children deserve better, and so do the adults who read with them.
July 3, 2019
A lovely rhyming story about a maiden who goes to the ball and meets her princess. The story is sweet, but what really elevates this picture book are the amazing illustrations. The Maiden and the Princess are anything but stereotypically willowy, and I love that they are not white. My daughter (who is four) demanded that I read this twice in a row!
August 6, 2019
So, I loved the illustrations and enjoyed the story. What I am curious about is how people will end up using it (coming from a professional standpoint not a personal one - it could be a target for book challenges). I could see people using it as a bedtime story for older children. It would actually even make an awesome read-aloud selection for a Drag Queen storytime if you live/work in a liberal area.
October 16, 2020
I loved both the ways this followed and deviated from traditional fairy tales. It’s paced really nicely for reading aloud.
June 19, 2021
Spencer rated it 4 stars.
October 23, 2021
A brief, romantic tale about a princess and a maiden who fall in love.
May 18, 2022
So sweet <3
January 12, 2024
GL but make it for bbs 🥰. Such sweeties, love it!
November 30, 2024
really sweet (,:
June 11, 2021
It rhymes! Read it out loud
January 5, 2022
Absolutely adorable 🥰
June 15, 2020
Maiden & Princess is a children's picture book written by the team of Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo and illustrated by Becca Human, which focus on a noble princess and a beautiful maiden come together and finds true love together.
Haack-Galup's text is simplistic, straightforward, and melodic. The simple rhyming text takes the typical trope of having a princess attending a ball to find her prince, but with a twist. Human's dresses the diverse villagers in lavish, jewel-toned gowns and dramatic headpieces, bringing a sense of opulence to the pages.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. In an eclectic kingdom, a tenacious young woman, who wears an enviable suit of stylish armor and has a dragon for a pet, dreads attending the king and queen’s ball, where they hope to find their son a worthy bride. When she is chosen as the best match for the prince, she is miserable. When she’s approached by a maiden, the two form an instant romantic bond.
All in all, Maiden & Princess is wonderful children's book of finding and accepting love no matter who it comes in and everyone deserves their happily ever after.
Haack-Galup's text is simplistic, straightforward, and melodic. The simple rhyming text takes the typical trope of having a princess attending a ball to find her prince, but with a twist. Human's dresses the diverse villagers in lavish, jewel-toned gowns and dramatic headpieces, bringing a sense of opulence to the pages.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. In an eclectic kingdom, a tenacious young woman, who wears an enviable suit of stylish armor and has a dragon for a pet, dreads attending the king and queen’s ball, where they hope to find their son a worthy bride. When she is chosen as the best match for the prince, she is miserable. When she’s approached by a maiden, the two form an instant romantic bond.
All in all, Maiden & Princess is wonderful children's book of finding and accepting love no matter who it comes in and everyone deserves their happily ever after.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews