The Very Fairy Princess

April 19, 2010
Geraldine, this book's redheaded heroine, may look like an ordinary girl, but she harbors no doubts about her magical royal status: “I FEEL it inside—a sparkling feeling of just KNOWING in my heart.” With great powers, however, come great responsibilities. A fairy princess must always wear her crown (“You never know who you might bump into... even on the stairs), shore up her mere mortal friends (“YOU sparkle when you play the trombone,” she tells one), and always be on the lookout for problems to solve, like an escaped classroom hamster. Andrews and Hamilton's narrative voice, a mixture of self-assured proclamations and parenthetical confidences, is fun, and for every reference to glitter, tutus, and sparkle, there are examples of the heroine's rough-and-tumble side (sliding down a banister or pursuing a frog across a stream). Davenier's (Just Like a Baby
) luminous and empathic watercolors act like fairy wings on this story. Even though the pictures are predominantly pink, there's nothing pale about Davenier's characterization; Geraldine radiates noblesse oblige, heedless energy, and a sense of destiny—she's Eloise crossed with Hillary Clinton. Ages 3–6.

May 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 1-As any library staff member will tell you, there can never be too many princess stories. While this collaboration between Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Hamilton, does not stand out as anything particularly different, it does have enough sparkle to keep young readers interested. Geraldine leads a rather ordinary life, and each page highlights a part of her mundane day. However, in the grand tradition of other literary, bedazzled mini-divas, Geraldine's imagination and love for the color pink brighten the daily grind of being a scab-kneed little girl. Readers will enjoy Geraldine's princess attitude and the vibrant fantasy brought to life through Davenier's ink and colored pencil illustrations. However, for girly girl stories with a bit more attitude, stick with reigning princesses Eloise, Fancy Nancy, and Olivia."Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
Preschool-K A girl who believes she is really a princess isn't a new premise in childrens literature, so it's refreshing to find a very real little girl as our protagonist, especially given a title that evokes an expectation of a more traditionally froufrou young royal. Geraldine (Gerry) just knows she is a princess and narrates the events of her day, offering commentary about her many doubters: My brother, Stewart, says princesses don't wear sneakers and don't have scabby knees. Gerry's type of princess isn't too precious; in response to her brother, she asserts, Fairy princesses are very practical. A long day passes-breakfast, school, playtime, and dinner-before the one person who never doubts her comes home: Daddy. Freckled, spiky haired, pink clad, and irrepressible, Geraldine is reminiscent of Eloise. She lets kids know it's not necessary to be prim and proper to be a real princess; princesses who just want to have fun will find plenty of that here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 27, 2015
Gerry is having “a hard time choosing a costume that works with my wings and crown,” and she’s quick to set her father straight when he suggests that she simply dress up as a fairy princess. “That not a costume,” she says. “That’s what I am!” Rather than make Gerry’s costume conundrum the heart of the story, Andrews and Hamilton focus on her ingenuity, first in coming up with a perfect wings-friendly costume (an angel) and then by coming to the rescue of a classmate whose dentist costume gets doused with ketchup at lunch, a stain that “sends totally the wrong message about dentists!” A few costume adjustments for both girls result in a winning Halloween parade, captured in loving detail in Davenier’s characteristically loose and lively illustrations. No tricks here, just treats—sparkly ones, of course. Ages 3–6.

August 29, 2016
Andrews and Hamilton forgo a traditional take on Thanksgiving for one that centers on the Gratitude Day celebrated at the school of their always sparkly heroine, Gerry. Compliments and an “Attitude of Gratitude” are the order of the day, and Gerry doesn’t really struggle with either until her portrait of a cornucopia is hung sideways and mistaken for a clown, though this proves only a minor hiccup. Between the plot’s references to food drives and compliment-giving, readers will have no trouble coming up with ways to incorporate a bit of gratitude into their lives, and Gerry’s breezily confident narration and Davenier’s airy artwork are as appealing as ever. Ages 4–8.

May 26, 2014
Moving up a grade and leaving behind the teacher she’s had all year doesn’t make fairy princess Gerry feel very sparkly, even when she’s wearing her pink crown and fairy wings—which is pretty much all the time. Her wings droop even lower when she learns that her new teacher is a man: “He’ll never believe that I’m a fairy princess!” Luckily, a chance encounter with the well-accessorized Mr. Bonario at graduation brings her sparkle back. Davenier’s lithe illustrations infuse the story with warmth and quiet emotion; Andrews’s and Hamilton’s heroine continues to charm. Ages 3–6.

July 1, 2010
A modern-day girl explains what it's like to be a "fairy princess." With its self-regarding narrator and edifying parentheticals ("Fairy princesses are very practical...Fairy princesses are very supportive"), this moderately entertaining book owes a conspicuous debt to Fancy Nancy. Happily, Davenier is at her best, giving the pink-bedecked girl relatable real-world attributes such as unkempt hair and unroyal posture.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)