Babette Cole graduated from Canterbury College of Art in 1973 and has been a writer and illustrater ever since. She has produced animated storyboards for the BBC, illustrated numerous greetings cards and books by other authors as well as her own. Babette won The Kurt Maschler Prize for DROP DEAD!. She lives in Lincolnshire with a menagerie of animals.
In both text and art, Cole's characteristic wacky humor sparks this fable about a contemporary princess who ``enjoyed being a Ms.'' and finds an ingenious method for retaining her single status. Ages 4-8. (June)
PreS-Gr 3 Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married; she'd rather live with her pets. Commanded by her parents to find herself a husband, the Princess sets tasks for her horde of suitors. Prince Vertigo is commanded to rescue her from her crystal tower; Prince Grovel's quest is to take the Queen shopping; and so on. All of the potential husbands fail miserably as the gleeful Princess looks onuntil Prince Swashbuckle appears. He accomplishes all of the challenges with resourcefulness and a royal flourish, and is rewarded with a kiss from Her Highness. He's transformed into a gigantic warty toad. When word gets out, Princess Smartypants loses her appeal and so lives happily ever after. Truly comical watercolors in softly glowing colors complement this fairy tale parody perfectly. The Princess wears overalls; among her pets are goofy-looking dragons and other magical beasts. Clever details add to the fun; one of Prince Swashbuckle's medals features a tiny golden pig. Probably more fun for adults than children, this is still an appealing book for budding feminists. It presents a new slant on the traditional fairy tale princess in a light-handed, tongue-in-cheek manner. A refreshing alternative. Lucy Young Clem, Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library, Ind.
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