KITTY PRINCESS AND THE NEWSPAPER DRESS

In a sparkly debut for this creative team, readers can laugh at the supreme rudeness of the titular Kitty Princess. The text opens with a parody of Cinderella, as Kitty Princess orders the narrator, her Fairy Godmouse, to conjure up an outfit for a ball, then rejects her creations. "Your spells are pathetic," Kitty says, and marches into town to go shopping. Stylish, mixed-media collages set the book in a kind of half-retro Japan; the animal characters all wear folded paper kimonos, and paper temples line the streets. Readers will watch with horrified delight as Kitty orders the greengrocer about like a slave. "Make me a pair of your prettiest shoes by dinnertime," she commands, and when the cow behind the counter protests that they sell only fruits and vegetables, Kitty says, "Shoes by dinnertime, or else. That's an order!" When she repeats her performance at a café and a newspaper stand, she ends up with a pair of watermelon pumps, a French-fry–and– sausage tiara and a gown of Japanese newspaper, an ensemble hilariously represented with photo and painted-paper elements. The moral lesson is on the fluffy side; as Kitty Princess apologizes to each person she's offended, Fairy Godmouse transforms each part of her costume (e.g., when she apologizes to the greengrocer, her fruity footwear becomes "the prettiest and most dazzling slippers"), but the Fairy Godmouse has one last surprise up her sleeve for the ending. Splashy, high-energy entertainment. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)