Review: The Princess and the Frogs by Veronica Bartles and Sara Palacios

Love me a well-done fractured fairy tale!

9780062365910

$17.99

The cover grabbed me right away - now here is a princess we can all relate to! Her sense of style reminds me of a certain princess in my own household, too.

Princess Cassandra wants a pet to be her friend - one who will jump and play and swim with her, and preferably one who matches her favorite green dress. A frog, of course, is a perfect fit, and everything is going great - until she kisses him goodnight. Now he is a prince! And he wants to marry her, too - no thanks! She tries frog after frog, but each time she kisses them good night, the same thing happens. What's a princess to do?

Young readers will enjoy the silliness, and I commend Palacios for managing to make each frog (and each prince) look completely different. This one is sure to make it into my story time line-up - after I take it home for a while first!

Review: Lola Knows a Lot by Jenna McCarthy and Sara Palacios

9780062250179

$17.99

Meet Lola! Lola knows a lot. She can cartwheel, she can tie her shoes...she can make her sister crazy. The only thing Lola DOESN’T know...is if she’s really ready to go to school. 

I couldn't quite decide which of my kids Lola reminds me of, but she sure does seem familiar! I think she's an amalgam of the whole gang (and yes, I have been waiting to use that word since I first saw "Parenthood".)

Any time a picture book makes me laugh out loud, it is going on my story time list. This is perfect for kids getting ready to start school, or for any story time where your listeners have siblings! When Lola isn't quite sure she knows enough to start school (thanks to big sister making her nervous), Mom suggests she makes a list of things she does know. Some are practical (she knows how to make lists!) and some are hilarious ("I'm good at driving my sister crazy...I'm not saying you should try it. I'm just saying I happen to be especially good at it.")

In the end, Lola decides that while she doesn't know everything, she knows she is "ready to learn all the things I still don't know," which is an excellent attitude for all of us to have.

Illustrations by Palacios are bright and cheery, and it's worth checking out the kitten's antics and expressions in each scene.