The Kingfisher Treasury of Princess Stories

This is a review by my 7 year old daughter. She liked the book because they weren't the usual princess stories (she doesn't like the princess stories anymore). It was exciting because she didn't know what would happen next. There were funny parts also--a mouse in a dress riding a chicken. She read it all the way through in one day.

These original fairy tales and retellings of old favorites, of course, all star princesses, but most of them are different from the classics. For example, there's a princess who loves to wrestle and drive forklift trucks, a nasty princess who's a witch, a princess who's been turned into a mouse, and so on. My personal favorite is "Petronella". She's the only princess her kingdom has ever had, and she decides to go out on a quest for a prince just as the princes have traditionally quested for princesses. "The Terribly Plain Princess" who likes to garden is wonderful as well. All thirteen of these stories are great for 3rd to 5th graders to read by themselves, or for younger kids to listen to. Older girls will appreciate the stories, too, especially the ones that emphasize not being a damsel in distress. The stories include: "The Princess and the Frog", "The Princess's Handkerchiefs", "Mousey and Sulky Puss", "The Wrestling Princess", "The Terribly Plain Princess", "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", "The Spider in the Bath", "The Seventh Princess", "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood", "Petronella", "The Princess Who Met the North Wind", "The Cat-King's Daughter", and "The Princess and the Pea".