Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The team behind I Love You, Stinky Face serves up a tale of bedtime shenanigans with a father-daughter spin. "Time to dry off then, Princess Pruney Toes!" a father tells his daughter when she pokes her "shrivelly and wrinkled" big toe out of the tub to show it off. This casual remark sparks the girl's imagination: she zips off to find her princess crown, dubs her father "Sir Daddy" and begins to make royal demands (e.g., she prefers a gown to her usual crocodile jammies). Her father gamely joins in the charade ("Here is an exquisite gown of pure spun gold. May I help you into it?"), and on the final spread, he tucks her in and grants her wish "to be your most special and favorite girl forever." McCourt sprinkles on the sugar a bit heavily, but adroitly conveys the bond between father and daughter as well as the fanciful role-playing between parent and child. Punching up her pastel palette with shades of purple and orange, Moore's exuberant watercolors include warm domestic details such as fuzzy household pets and cozy bedroom slippers. An amiable bedtime outing. Ages 4-8. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-A delightful romp to bedtime. This story opens with the "princess," a towheaded preschooler, lingering in her bath, thus earning the name Princess Pruney Toes from her ingenious father. He guides her to bed, sticking to his schedule, but allowing for fun and games along the way. The child knows what she wants-dessert, certain pajamas, time with her pets. Finally, she is asleep. This story is unusual for several reasons-"Sir Daddy" is preparing his daughter for bed in an imaginative manner, "Ms. Princess" is boisterous and mischievous without being bratty, and her dad succeeds in getting her to bed without too much complaint. The illustrations are vibrant and active, complementing the story perfectly. The household activities are realistic-many preschoolers will recognize the little girl's toys and room. The love between parent and child is demonstrated through text and illustration. Families everywhere will enjoy tucking their children in with their own variations on this story.-Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When a father calls his daughter Princess Pruney Toes at bath time, he begins an imaginative exchange that adds pizzazz to their bedtime preparations. She dubs him Sir Daddy, and her nightgown becomes an exquisite gown of pure spun gold. Energetic illustrations reflect the playful father-daughter conversation; the ending is satisfying if sentimental. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tooth-achingly sweet but winning is this bedtime tale of a princess and her royal father from the team that produced It's Time for School, Stinky Face (2000) and its predecessors. Out of her bath steps Princess Pruney Toes, ready for the royal drying before stepping into her spun-gold gown. (Her father had earlier proffered crocodile jammies. Imagine. "My mistake, your highness," Sir Daddy apologized.) He then suggests to the princess that she might like a bedtime snack of a star of bread with magical jam. "What sort of magic will you use?" asks the princess. "Magic spice," says Sir Daddy. "There was a sale in aisle nine." A song is sung, a dragon disguised as a family dog tries to steal the royal snack, a short flight is taken on angel's wings to bed, but not before Sir Daddy requests a royal dance. That's enough to melt even this princess's playacting. Having wished on a star, she asks, "Do you know what I wished for, Daddy?" He asks what. "To be your most special and favorite girl forever and ever." Wish granted. Artwork as color-shot and fleeting as pixie dust accompanies McCourt's jubilant, honeyed observance of the father-daughter bond. (Picture book. 3-7)
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