Princess Posey and the perfect present by Stephanie Greene, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Princess Posey is back! We first met this charming and utterly real small girl in Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade where she was dealing with very normal fears about starting first grade. Now, Princess Posey is back and very excited about her beloved teacher’s upcoming birthday. She’s going to give her the most perfect present; a lovely bouquet of flowers she grew herself. But then she sees her best friend give the teacher a huge bouquet bought from a florist. How will Miss Lee know that Posey likes her best now?

Posey is a completely real first grader in her interactions with friends and family, her reactions, her hopes and fears. This adorable series steps away from the current fashion for quirky, hyperactive, and frankly annoying heroines (yes, I’m looking at YOU Junie B. Jones) and presents Posey as an Every Girl with everyday worries and delights that most little girls will understand and delight in.


Verdict: If you haven’t already bought the first Princess Posey book, add it to your collection now, along with this sweet but never saccharine sequel. A third Princess Posey book is coming out later this summer. I’m excited that both volumes are currently available in paperback so I can add them to my library’s series collection. A must have for every public and elementary school library.

ISBN: 9780399254628; Published March 2011 by Puffin; Review copy provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter 2011; Purchased for the library.