Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | EASY SAU | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
"Princess power saves the day in a humorous antidote to pretty in pink." --Kirkus Reviews
Princess Viola is great at skateboarding and karate-chopping, but she's lousy at the royal wave, walk, and waltz. The king and queen are not pleased. What's a princess to do? Attend the skill-polishing Camp Princess, of course. In the end, it's a good thing Viola is made of tougher stuff. Who else will save the day when the green dragon comes along?
Author Notes
Tammi Sauer is an award-winning children's book author. She lives with her family in Edmond, Oklahoma. Visit her at www.tammisauer.com .
Joe Berger is an animator and cartoonist, as well as an author and illustrator of many popular picture books. He lives in Bristol, England, with his family. Visit him at www.joeberger.co.uk .
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Viola Louise Hassenfeffer is not an ordinary princess. She spends her time diving into the moat, skateboarding, and karate-chopping. Wanting to fit in, she immediately signs up for Camp Princess, which promises to make her the darling of her kingdom. At camp, Viola tries very hard to learn the royal wave, but the addition of a karate chop is frowned upon. During the runway portion of the Frills of Fashion, she decides to cool off with a dive into the moat and is told royalty doesn't dive. While trying to dazzle during dance lessons, she adds a bit of skateboard flair that is deemed unacceptable. Poor Viola is feeling like a failure by time the Royal Bash begins, but it turns out to be her time to shine. When a big, green dragon shows up, she gives him a solid karate chop, douses his flames with a dive into the fountain, and then skateboards circles around him until he collapses with a resounding thunk. The extraordinary princess then becomes the darling of her kingdom just as she is. The illustrations kick this familiar theme up a notch. Berger's comic-book-like panels for the action sequences are exciting, and one of Viola's karate chops is practically 3-D. Oversize action words like "Hi-Yah!," "Zip! Zup! Zoom!," and "Splash!" round out the fun. Observant readers will get a glimpse of the green dragon before his grand entrance. A good choice for a "be-true-to-yourself"- themed storytime or for anyone looking for a fun read.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Viola Louise Hassenfeffer is no idle princess: "She spent her time karate-chopping, diving into the moat, and skateboarding up and down the drawbridge." But she also wants to make her parents happy by being prim and proper, so when she's invited to attend a boot camp where she'll learn "to wave, walk, and waltz just like royalty should," she leaps at the chance. With so many feisty princess stories in circulation, readers will quickly guess that redheaded Viola flunks Propriety 101, but gets an A+ in Saving the Day. Sauer's (Me Want Pet!) storytelling tends to be literal, but Berger's exuberant ink line and comic-book conventions (including the use of panels and "zip! zup! zoom!" sound effects) sell the otherwise expected story. As he has proven with the Bridget Fidget books, he's got a gift for portraying expressive, inexhaustible heroines, whether they are following their bliss (one especially spectacular scene has Viola executing a righteous one-handed handstand on her skateboard -bracelets, tiara, and all) or vanquishing a-spoiler alert-dragon. Ages 4-8. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Caroline Walsh, David Higham Associates. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Karate-chopping, moat-splashing and skateboard-zooming are much more fun for Princess Viola than tiara-wearing and hand-waving. When the royal post delivers a letter of invitation to attend Camp Princess, Viola is keen to try it, for who would not want to be "the darling" of one's kingdom, as Madame Gertrude, the Director, promises. Alas, though the Princess tries hard at all things properly royal, she reverts to true form and enhances her actions by chopping instead of waving, splashing instead of walking and zooming instead of waltzing. Is all lost? Never! The night of the camp's Royal Bash, Viola employs her skills to best a hungry, bright-green dragon and returns home in triumph. Sauer, who likes spunk in her characters, writes with brisk humor, employing action verbs to great effect. Berger, an animator and cartoonist, uses a mix of pencil, wax crayon, brush pen and Photoshop to create art with comic-book flair, complete with panels and exploding fonts. His palette of hot pink, lavender, blue and orange pulsates with energy. And, necessary for any princess outing, a generous dollop of glitter adorns the cover. Princess power saves the day in a humorous antidote to pretty in pink. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When it comes to being prim and proper, Princess Viola is a royal dud. The moat-diving, karate-chopping thrill seeker attends princess camp in hopes of learning to conduct herself in a more noble fashion. Despite rebukes from the camp's etiquette-obsessed director ( Royalty does not skateboard ), Viola fails to dress, dance, or even wave in a remotely aristocratic way. And good thing, too, because a ferocious green dragon shows up, and the princess draws on her unusual talents to vanquish the beast, proving that acting nobly has little to do with fashion or frills. Berger's spirited cartoonlike artwork amps up the merriment by blending comics elements (panels, motion lines) and action-oriented sound effects (Zip! Zup! Zoom!) with a pink-heavy palette and glitter-festooned cover. If the breezy story isn't breaking entirely new ground, children will be having too much fun to notice, and Sauer's message of being true to oneself is one they can't hear enough.--McKulski, Kristen Copyright 2010 Booklist
