I Am Really a Princess

by Carol Diggory Shields

Book by Shields, Carol Diggory

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published July 10, 1990

About the author

Carol Diggory Shields was inspired to write Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp after "being called a Nagosaurus by my five-year-old," she admits. "I started playing with the idea of partying dinosaurs who were scientifically accurate (more or less), and somehow in the prehistoric ooze of my brain, Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp took shape." Her rocking prehistoric party proved a hit with both young readers and critics. "Witty and imaginative, the poem has a rhythm that makes cumbersome multisyllable dinosaur names roll off the tongue," said Kirkus Reviews.
Currently a children's librarian, Carol Diggory Shields has also worked with children as a recreational therapist and at one time was a designer of stuffed toys. Her years of being around children have no doubt helped her get a feel for the fun-but-factual stories that kids love, told in animated verse with an infectious beat. After successfully collaborating with illustrator Scott Nash on Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, she teamed up with him for Martian Rock, "the true story of how a meteorite from Mars arrived on Earth," she quips.
More recently, the pair worked together again on The Bugliest Bug, a wacky tale of an insect talent contest threatened by hungry spiders (disguised as judges) and a brave little Damselfy who saves the day. "Insects are awesome!," the author enthuses. "Every human invention, from catapults to jet propulsion, had already been invented and used by bugs for millions of years. And that's why to be 'bugly' is the ultimate compliment."
The author of several books for children, Carol Diggory Shields lives in northern California.

Reviews

[Martiah Rall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Am Really A Princess is written by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Paul Meisel and was published in 1993. The story is told as if the main character is a princess and her “real parents”, the King and Queen, would be very upset by the way she was being treated. Having to do chores, doing homework for school, no friends over on the weekdays, and watching over her little sister are just not acceptable for a princess. The book is set in the girl’s home but imagined as a castle with everything a princess could ever need.

This book’s illustrations are especially busy and fill up most of every page. The business and colorful aspects remind me much of what it is like inside of a child’s mind when they are at the peak of their imagination. Throughout the whole story ordinary places in her home become part of a kingdom that is special just for her. This is especially relevant in her bedroom, which I think makes sense because this is where a child’s mind runs most wild and free in the adolescent years. Something that I noted was that the toys laying around her room at the end of the book are the same characters that were imagined earlier in the story like the horse and snake.

I think the main character is portrayed as very self-centered like any young girl her age usually is. She says if she were a princess she would be an only child and have everything she could ever want or need. Though, at the end of the story everything winds back to reality and she enjoys the little things her parents do for her like tuck her in and tickler her. In a way the story has a Home-Away-Home structure to it.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a child, I have a signed copy as Shields was a local librarian. I still send it to my friends when they have kids, it’s such a fabulous and fun story with great illustrations!

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids enjoyed this one. So did I.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this being one of my favorite books as child. It has a good message for children about appreciating what you have in life. However, the story is also very cute and has great illustrations. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a gift for a little girl in his or her life.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this for my 3-5 year old creative drama class, they loved thinking of the chores that they would love to shirk and dictate what foods they would order from the royal chef etc. It satisfied their princess-mania in a creative way as well.

[Slayton]

I made a 80 on my AR Test

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first lines of this book. "I am really a princess. And when my true parents, the king and queen, find out how I have been treated around here, they are going to be very upset." ;)

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute book. There are some great vocabulary words. You could prompt the children to write about who they "really" are.