A Really-Truly Princess

Kastner embraces the theme of finding one’s authentic self in this fairy tale–based volume about a girl’s desire to understand what makes a true princess. Princess Rosellen receives a birthday gift from her godmother, a special gold-trimmed book titled Tales of True Princesses: Stories for the Entertainment & Instruction of Young Princesses Everywhere. Wondering if she is “only really, truly a Princess on Birthdays and State Occasions, when I wear my crown,” and told variably that tidy behavior and parentage are the answer to authentic princesshood, Rosellen turns to the volume for edification. Five fairy tales (among them “The Princess and the Pea” and “The Princess and the Frog,” which are printed in full) incite literal takeaways from the girl, and misadventures ensue as she, for example, places a pea under her mattress and a frog in her pocket to determine her royal status. Black-and-white drawings of Rosellen strike an old-fashioned note, while silhouettes illustrate the fairy tales. Though the formally told tale is loosely woven, and the ending may prove frustrating for those invested in the conceit, Kastner intersperses tongue-in-cheek humor that keeps the lesson-riddled story accessible and light. Ages 8–12. (BookLife)