Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel and Anastasia: we think of fairy tale princesses as having the perfect life. But do they really? In her newest book, Princesses Are People Too, Susie Morgenstern sets out to teach readers a thing or two about life inside and outside the ivory tower. In the first story, “Even Princesses Have to Go to School,” we meet the lonely, bored Princess Yona. Her parents King George CXIV and Queen Fortuna are down on their luck financially. They no longer have servants, the castle has gone to ruin and Princess Yona’s tutors have long been dismissed leaving her with no one to talk to and no way to learn about things outside the castle walls. When the royal family is forced to sell their rundown castle, they must adjust to accommodations in a three-room apartment with loads of neighbors. Yona longs to meet new people and adapt to her new life, but, her mother reminds her, she mustn’t forget who she is a princess. When Yona discovers that other children her age go to school, she wants to join them. As she adjusts to her new surroundings, her parents are forced to change as well, teaching readers a lesson in the adaptability of human nature.
In the second tale, “Someday My Prince Will Scratch,” we meet another lonely princess. Emma must marry, but her search for the perfect match proves a challenge. Plagued by a pesky itch, she searches for of all things a young man who can scratch her back. She meets (and dismisses) many a suitor. But when she finds Prince Ray, an avid reader who is “just right,” Emma decides that maybe she should keep her itch after all as long as Ray is the one who scratches it. In the end, her pickiness pays off. A pair of contemporary fairy tales with realistic twists, Morgenstern’s stories will delight young readers. Serge Bloch’s drawings are funny and expressive. His cartoon-like depictions of these peppy princesses and their friends bring the tales to life. Through her stories, Morgenstern shows that we are all the same under the skin, that when it comes right down to it, we are all princesses at heart. Now where did I leave that tiara?
