Review by Booklist Review
While most young girls dream of dressing up in all the opulent finery of a princess, little Bess knows all too well that scads of bows, ruffles, buttons, and lace can become a bit tiresome. From dining with the king and queen to ballet and art lessons to hobnobbing with nobility, the ginger-haired princess spends her overscheduled days changing from one fancy frock to the next as she attends to an endless parade of royal duties. Cuyler's buoyant rhyming text relates the busy day's activities and contains lots of fun, fashiony detail. Maione's charming, candy-colored ink-and-watercolor illustrations depict Bess' ornate ensembles and the lavish palace surroundings, and the antics of the princess' canine companion add an additional level of gentle humor to the whimsical scenes. At day's end, Bess retires to her bedroom, where she can finally change into the clothes she secretly loves best plain, white underwear.--McKulski, Kristen Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
From the glitter on the jacket and Barbie-pink endpapers to the catchy rhymed descriptions of Princess Bess's "loads of" beautiful clothes, Cuyler's (100th Day Worries) sprightly story brims over with little-girl appeal. Princess Bess, depicted in debut artist Maione's zesty ink-and-watercolor art with carrot-colored ringlets and apple-red cheeks, leads a busy life (together with her omnipresent puppy, whose doings add an extra note of humor). Every activity of Bess's day, from ballet lessons to art class to jousting and chess, demands a different outfit. Even mealtimes require a costume change: "for luncheon with the prince/ she wore pink pantaloons of chintz," writes Cuyler; Maione shows her lounging barefoot in a treetop with an equally casually clad boy prince as a footman on a ladder holds a tray. But only when she has "closed her curtains, locked her door, dropped her dress upon the floor" is Bess finally free to dress as she likes-in her underclothes. The well-crafted rhymes roll easily off the tongue; Maione's droll pictures, balancing fashion-loving detail with Bess's brio, are a skillful accompaniment. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Toe-tapping rhymes chart a day in the life of a princess. Though she has many costume changes, none of the outfits, rendered with a suitably frilly, cotton-candy-like frothiness, can compete with her "favorite clothes": her underwear, in which she romps (in private) at day's end. Beneath its focus on girly garments, the book has a feminist slant; this is no (stereo)typical princess. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A stylish young princess, weary of dressing la mode, yearns for her favorite outfit. In jaunty rhyming couplets, Cuyler describes Bess's extravagant array of trappings. From the moment she awakens until she retires for the evening, this fashionable young princess has an outfit for every conceivable occasion. Breakfast with the queen requires nothing less than velveteen while lunch with the prince finds Bess resplendent in chintz (pantaloons). The playful rhymes detailing fanciful costumes continue until Bess reveals her attire of choice. Maione's ink-and-watercolor illustrations depict a lavishly outfitted tot with a cascade of red curls. Her imaginative confections will satisfy even the most ardent of princess devotees. Comical details, such as the inclusion of Bess's mischievous pup in every vignette and the princess's recalcitrant expressions as she is bedecked and beribboned, keep the story from becoming cloying. A good choice for budding princesses both starry-eyed and sassy. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
