While I am not personally a fan of Julie Andrews' novels, Mandy and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, they have many and varied fans and are definitely on the classic list as far as middle grade fiction is concerned.So it is with pleasurable anticipation, rather than slack-mouthed horror that I greet the discovery of a new Julie Andrews' picturebook (co-written with her daughter) - and I am not disappointed!
Geraldine is a fairy princess - no matter what anyone believes. She proceeds to prove her magical qualities as she does fairy princess things, from putting on her crown and practicing her flying skills, to dancing and rescuing frogs. The story is sweet and exuberant without being sickly sentimental or didactic. Geraldine is a very human little girl, but her firm belief in her fairy powers buoys her spirits throughout what would otherwise be a very ordinary day.
Christine Davenier's illustrations are strong on pink hues, with a little glitter on the cover for sparkle. But this isn't a one-color palette, like certain books I love to hate and I hardly need mention them....Geraldine's vibrant pinkness swirls through a landscape of pastels as she spreads her fairy princess spirit, shown in magical explosions of pink streamers and stars.
Verdict: A definite must for all fairy princesses and the libraries where they sparkle
ISBN: 9780316040501; Published May 2010 by Little, Brown; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library
4 comments:
You are not a fan of Mandy?? A childhood favorite of mine (although I have no interest in Whangdoodles). Will take a peek at Fairy Princess, though--thanks for the review!
Well, it's not that I don't like them - I just never read them as a child and when I glanced at them as an adult they didn't interest me. I was always more of a fantasy girl when I was younger.
Yeah, the whole orphan thing goes down better as a child. I recieved Mandy as a Christmas present in 1974 and still own it. For years I wanted to be a teacher at an English orphanage. I still occasionally read this one and still love it inexplicably!
You know, I'm not sure I ever tried to read Mandy, just Whangdoodles. Clearly, I need to give it another try.
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