Not Every Princess By Jeffrey Bone and Lisa Bone

From the title, I expected this book to be about an unusual type of princess. Or at least, about a princess. It is not. The book is about make-believe characters kids dream about or pretend to be (mermaids, superheroes, pirates, knights, etc.) The pictures in the book show children in several different scenarios (such as flying a kite or exploring in an attic), but often it’s the girl in the knight role and boy in the mermaid role to show that gender stereotypes can be broken. The book was light on words and had a rhyming theme throughout. The words were easy for my 4 year-old to understand. And I really enjoyed the illustrations –Valeria Docampo did an amazing job.

In the back of the book, two full pages of notes to caregivers describe the book’s purpose. According to the authors, “the book is to help children envision lives for themselves beyond stereotypical gender roles and expectations.” There are also notes on how to encourage imagination and exploring.

I asked my 4 year-old what she thought of the book and she said she liked it because it “had lots of pretty pictures.” She also asked where the princess was and why she wasn’t in the book very much. I liked the book and thought it had a good message. My 6 year-old son did not want to read the book because it had a princess on the cover.

One work of caution: At the end of the book, a few pages are aimed at showing that kids can expand their mind and envision all sorts of things, and these pages include drawings that look like scribbling. There is also what appears to be scribbling on the cover of the book. Unfortunately, the day I read the book with my 4 year-old daughter, I later found scribbling on our hardwood floors and a table. (This has NEVER happened before.) I’d definitely suggest talking to your child if they’re preschool age about the importance of only drawing on paper if you choose to read this book!

Publisher: Magination Press

http://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/441B143.aspx

Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and a variety of online sources

Cost: between $8 and $15

Ages: 4-8 years

Easy to Read 4

Quality of Illustrations: 5

Appealed to both boys and girls: 3

Kept my child(ren)’s interest: 4

I would purchase this for my family: no

I would purchase this as a gift: no

I found information in this book helpful: yes

Overall rating: 4

All ratings on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being highest.

Meet the Reviewer!

Pamela Prado is a former TV news anchor turned stay-at-home mom, with a passion for social media. If she’s not rushing her kids to acting/modeling gigs or taking them to dance, soccer or baseball, she’s heading out to explore the rich history of the D.C. area.

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