PRINCESS POWER

The first day of school is made manageable with inspiration from Disney princesses.

An unnamed young protagonist gets up on the first day of school and asks, “What would a princess do?” The child proceeds through the day guided by the princesses’ examples. As Mulan “would put on her armor to feel brave,” favorite jeans help the child feel “ready for anything.” In class, the child tells a good story, as Belle would. During art, the child makes a mess painting, as Rapunzel would. The child makes friends, human and animal, like Cinderella. Moana teaches the child to “practice to get really good at something,” and Snow White teaches kindness. Each spread is split between an image of the princess in her element and the child doing comparable actions throughout the day at school. While the marketing angle of the book is clear, the messages focus on the Disney princesses’ characters and ways of being in the world, extolling bravery, outspokenness, and hard work. The illustrations depict a racially diverse classroom, including a racially ambiguous brown protagonist. Only the visual faithfulness to the unrealistically tiny waists of certain princesses undermines the attempt to put character above stereotypical feminine appearance.

All things considered, a decent dose of integrity for the princess-obsessed.