Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror

I won my copy in a Goodreads Giveaway.

Although I'm a bit older than the target demographic, and don't have kids, I loved this book and can't wait to donate it to my Little Free Library in order to start it on the next leg of it's journey. I enjoyed it so much, I'm a little tempted to keep it.

The stories of the various princesses are simple and moving, perfect for bedtime. The illustrations accompany the text beautifully.

I appreciated the message that a princesses can be proactive and active, but that the author didn't forget to honor the introverts and storytellers. Natasha Farrant also made clear a princess doesn't have to technically be royalty. Most of the princesses are surrounded by love, but some feel like outsiders, and have to find their own place, or fight to be understood.

While the stories take place in many different cultures, which I love, none of the stories are so steeped in their cultures as to not feel universal. They present a wonderful opportunity for exploration of different places and times. I think it would be cool to have a story be the key to talking about diverse cultures and expectations for girls and women.

I teared up a bit at the ending, and during the tale of a princess and her pet crocodile. Being me, I'm a sucker for encouraging kindness toward animals by promoting empathy.

I would love to see this become a standard on bookshelves everywhere. While boys might balk, I think they will also find a lot to related to in these stories.