2017-07-02
This book wants to be feminist.Princess Penelope Pineapple, illustrated as a white girl with dark hair and eyes, is the Amelia Bloomer of the Pineapple Kingdom. She has dresses, but she prefers to wear pants as she engages in myriad activities ranging from yoga to gardening, from piloting a plane to hosting a science fair. When it's time for the Pineapple Ball, she imagines wearing a sparkly pants outfit, but she worries about Grand Lady Busyboots' disapproval: " ‘Pants have no place on a lady!' she'd say. / ‘That's how it has been, and that's how it shall stay.' " In a moment of seeming dissonance between the text and art, Penny seems to resolve to wear pants, but then she shows up to the ball in a gown. This apparent contradiction is resolved when the family cat, Miss Fussywiggles, falls from the castle into the moat and Princess Penelope saves her—after stripping off her gown to reveal pink, flowered swimming trunks and a matching top. Impressed, Grand Lady Busyboots resolves that princesses can henceforth wear whatever they wish. While seeing a princess as savior rather than damsel in distress may still seem novel, it seems a stretch to cast pants-wearing as a broadly contested contemporary American feminist issue. Guthrie and Oppenheim's unimaginative, singsong rhyme is matched in subtlety by Byrne's bright illustrations. Skip it. (Picture book. 3-5)
In the last year young readers have been rewarded with an abundance of terrific new titles. With an inspiring new collection of stories for Rebel Girls, a new Diary of a Wimpy Kid novel, newly discovered books from Shel Silverstein AND Mark Twain, and a hilarious return to the Dragons Love Tacos universe, our list of […]
September means back-to-school, and a whole new list of top picks in picture books! This month’s list brings a mix of the classic and the brand-new. Whether it’s revisiting a favorite classic character or exploring a brand new story, what books are you looking forward to this September?
B&N Members and Kids’ Club members will receive 20% off of their copies of Princesses Save the World. Ask a bookseller for details on how to join! (Offer available in-store and on 9/22 only.) Find your local store here.
School is back in session—snack time, recess, and naptime are all in vogue once again. Bedtime has rolled back a couple hours too, so you need to bring your A Game to storytime—are you ready? If it’s taking you a moment to switch out of summer vacation mode, we are here to help—with a diverse […]
As someone raising both a son and a daughter, I’m always on the lookout for books that empower both of them to grow into strong, happy, healthy adults. That’s every parent’s dream, right? While my daughter went through a princess phase just like many other girls her age, she simultaneously expressed an interest in trains, […]