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Princess! Fairy! Ballerina! by Bethaine Deeney Murguia

Erin Leave a Comment

princess fairy ballerinaABOUT THE BOOK
Author/Illustrator: Bethanie Deeney Murguia
Published by: Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic
Released: May 2016
Ages: 3 – 8

RaisingMom.ca Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars

From the Publisher:

What do you want to play today?
A princess, a fairy, and a ballerina face off in this sweet, funny story of three best friends on one uproarious playdate. When three friends gather for a playdate, they have to decide: Will they play princess, fairy, or ballerina? It’s the perfect setup for a royal, magical, graceful, and very cute standoff, with a delightful (and slightly damp) ending. (We’ll say only this: Keep your eye on the frog.) Princess! Fairy! Ballerina! is the perfect book for all the princesses, fairies, and ballerinas in your life!

Description:

Three little girls (neighbours) get together for a play date and dress in beautiful costumes.  Each is strong-willed and desires to direct the play according to her own wishes. One wishes to play princess, one desires to fly in a fairy world and the other wants to dance as a prima ballerina. Squabbling ensues as each explores and advocates for the imaginary world in which she wishes to play. They bicker and sulk and then their attention is drawn to an activity each can agree on and abandon their costumes for a common activity: playing outside in the rain. A pet frog is in each scene and helps move the action along by drawing the girls’ attention to the rain outside the window.

My Experience:

My almost three-year-old enjoyed the book.  The richly coloured illustrations drew her attention.  She most closely identified with the princess, as she spends most of her day dressed as one.  She couldn’t understand why the other two girls wouldn’t want to play princess together.  She highly approved their decision to move on to one of her favourite activities – splashing in puddles. She did not ask to have it read again, which is her signal for a favourite book.  As a mom and a teacher-librarian, I enjoyed the book, but it was not a WOW! experience.  The illustrations are eye-catching, but the dialogue is middling and lacking detail in places. I was disappointed that it did not have a clear message on sharing or getting along.  Distraction was the solution, not discussion, though the message that when no-one wins, everyone does can be taken from the story.

     Likes:

  • illustrations – eye-catching and colourful. Keeping a specific colour for each girl and all her accessories helps orient young readers to the action
  • representation of different styles/cultures (short hair, long hair, different races and heights)
  • sure to be popular with many girls – just the title and cover alone

     Dislikes:

  • boys may have trouble seeing themselves here (exclusionary)
  • average text – not inspiring or lyrical
  • using distraction to solve the squabble instead of mediation or problem-solving was perhaps a lost opportunity and weakening of the topic message

Why/How Use it with kids:

  • a vehicle to discuss methods to problem-solve and get along with friends.  What could the girls have done to be able to play together? (compromise, take turns, share, etc.)
  • discuss the solution of “when nobody wins, everyone does”.  Is this a good solution? Always?
  • dress up in or draw favourite costumes.  Why are they favourite?

About the Author:

Bethany Deeney Murguia was raised in Western New York. After graduating from the University of Rochester with a BA in psychology and fine art, she moved to New York City where she worked as an art director for Hearst Magazines. Bethanie also has her MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Currently, she lives in California’s Bay area and works as an art director for design and marketing firms. She has created illustrations for toy packaging and various children’s publications. Her paintings and design work have been honored with numerous awards.
Buy the book from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com

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Related

Children's Book Reviews, Picture Books (Ages 2 - 6), Picture Books for Older Kids (6+) 3.5 stars, children, fiction, friendship, illustrations, imagination, Picture Book, play, role playing, toddler, toddlers

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