The Princess in Black
Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
ISBN: 9780763665104
Fairy-tale drawings don't quite do the spunky story justice.
I have to say, when it comes to perfect pairings, I would have thought this little book by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham would have been just about everything my heart could have desired. This time, my knowledge of the previous works by these artists made this current book fall just a smidge flat for me. Compared to the witty and poignant work on Rapunzel's Revenge, and the beautiful cameo drawings of Bedtime for Mommy, I just didn't think this short chapter book quite measured up.
It's a cute romp; we meet Princess Magnolia (what a lovely Southern name that is) in her fairy-tale castle, entertaining the nosy noble Duchess Wigtower (and again with the names!). The duchess cannot know Magnolia's deepest darkest secret; she is also the Princess in Black, rescuer of the realm, defender of the innocent (usually livestock) and protector of the people! When an ogre in the deep dark caves manages to forget why ogres aren't allowed into the world above, the Princess in Black gets an alarm. Now she's really worried; what if the Duchess snoops while the Princess is away?
It's cute, don't get me wrong. It's also a lovely little girl-power story, perfect for a self-rescuing princess or budding Black Widow fan who isn't quite old enough for more lively (or bloody) derring-do. Still, I guess I just expected more from this particular trio.
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