Princess Grace

A lively discussion ensues among Grace and her classmates, when their teacher tells them the school is to take part in a parade – two ‘princesses’ are to be chosen from their class. Not only do the boys get involved in the debate (why no princes?), but the girls also begin to question assumptions about what princesses wear. Grace loves stories about princesses but while trying to decide what sort of costume she wants Nana to make for her, she begins to wonder what princesses actually do because she’d rather be dressed as someone interesting not just pretty. So the class hear stories from around the world about real princesses who fought battles or were scientists, and story princesses in Cinderella stories from different countries. In the end, the parade needs to accommodate this diversity, so the whole class dress up as Japanese, African, Indian and Spanish princes and princesses. Grace wears a striking multicoloured robe made from Kente cloth that Nana had brought back from Gambia.

There’s a richness of detail and a vitality to the illustrations which brings alive the characters and the atmosphere. Children and adults of different ethnic backgrounds are realistically and warmly depicted – there’s a very positive feel to this book. There is a subtlety to the style which conveys the varied thoughts and feelings of, for example, a group of children sitting on the carpet at school or Grace at home with her friends looking through books on princesses. I also like the additional notes at the end about real life (past) princesses from around the world and about Kente cloth. A lovely book.