Princess Charming

by Zibby Owens, Holly Hatam (Illustrator)

Overview

From debut author Zibby Owens comes Princess Charming, a lovable and empowering new character!

Princess Charming can’t quite seem to find her “thing.” She’s tried everything from cooking to hip-hop, and hasn’t been able to perfect either. Even her cartwheels are subpar. But when the castle hosts a superstar for a special event, Princess Charming finally finds her time to shine.

Princess Charming is about a brand-new princess character filled with fun, humor, and girl power. With a modern look and can-do attitude, Princess Charming is the perfect gift for all young readers who never give up!


Praise for Princess Charming
"[A] timeless message."—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593326787
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/19/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Zibby Owens is the creator and host of award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, one of Oprah.com's favorite book podcasts two years in a row. The CEO and founder of Zibby Owens Media, Zibby has formed a media company that includes multiple podcasts, publications like Moms Don't Have Time to Write, and other communities designed to help moms. She is the editor of the award-winning anthology Moms Don't Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology, and the upcoming memoir The Book Messenger. She is a regular contributor to Good Morning America online and also writes for The Washington Post, Parents, Slate, and Medium, where she is a top writer. Zibby regularly recommends books on TV and has been featured on CBS This Morning and Good Morning America. Named "NYC's Most Powerful Book-fluencer" by New York magazine's Vulture, Zibby currently lives in New York with her husband and four children. She always has a book nearby.

Holly Hatam is an author and illustrator working in bookmaking and animation. She is also the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of Dear Girl and Dear Boy. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and son.

Editorial Reviews

2022-02-09
A young princess struggles to find something she is good at.

Princess Charming finds it hard to be perfect—something, she says, everyone expects of her. She tries cooking, dancing, and singing but admits she’s hopeless at them, although she keeps trying. When glamorous movie star Stella Sparkle—illustrated with brown hair and light brown skin—visits the palace to determine if it is a good filming location for her next movie, the princess, a huge fan, is excited to meet her. But when the princess’s dog jumps on Stella and her earring goes missing, will the movie plan be put in jeopardy? It is at this tenuous juncture that Princess Charming finds out exactly what she is good at—a point that is made with some heavy-handedness. While the story includes many racially diverse secondary characters, the fact that the princess and the rest of the royal family are White suggests a power imbalance that undermines the book’s attempt at racial inclusiveness. Princess Charming’s jocular, self-deprecating narration is cute enough. The digital illustrations are lively and colorful, but they merely mirror the text instead of elevating the storyline. The final twist, a play on an old fairy tale, is pleasingly unexpected and solidifies the story’s message in a nuanced way. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A story that feels outdated despite its sturdy, timeless message. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews