THE PRINCESS RULES

Princess Florizella challenges princess stereotypes and still gets the prince—on her own terms….

Princess Florizella’s parents are unconventional royals who did not teach her the Princess Rules but let her do as she liked. As a result, “she grew up into a cheerful, noisy, bossy, happy girl.” So when she is invited to a ball by handsome Prince Bennett, along with 120 other, more conventional, princesses, she is the only one not interested in marriage but a fun party and excellent food. The prince decides she is the only one he wants, however, so he’s flabbergasted by her refusal. But they decide that they can settle for being best friends. Florizella flouts convention when she rescues Prince Bennett from a nasty tussle with a dragon only to be “prince-splained” as he expounds upon her violation of gender norms. In the second of the three interconnected stories in this work, the prince really does come to the rescue with a smart plan to make a wolf cub a more acceptable resident in the eyes of her royal parents. In the final story, Florizella and Bennett embark on a mission to rescue the Seven Kingdoms from the ravages of a destructive giant. Young readers will enjoy this validation of normal, gender-inclusive behavior. Florizella reads as White and Bennett as Black; the cheerful, charming illustrations have a classic feel and portray a diverse supporting cast.

A hilarious, wacky spoof on fairy-tale conventions.