Wowsers – there are so many amazing new children’s books out there at the moment. I’ll be doing a round-up of a few of our favourites very soon, but sometimes one merits a post of its own. Power to the Princess by Vita Murrow, illustrated by Julia Bereciartu (Lincoln Children’s Books, RRP £12.99) is one such book. We’re big fans of fairy tales with a feminist twist (Little Red and Sleeping Beauty: A Mid-century Fairy Tale I’m looking at you) and this gorgeous new book has 15 stories – all infused with a large dose of girl power.
The heroines of these stories aren’t going to settle for handsome princes and fabulous frocks, they are feisty, smart, ambitious and want more from life, hence Belle (Beauty and the Beast) is recruited by the police as a Protection Officer for her bravery, Rapunzel’s modifications to Gothel’s tower reveal her to be an astounding architect, Cinderella campaigns for workers’ rights and is eventually elected Prime Minister and Little Red Riding Hood becomes an advocate and carer for wolves. All the tales are fantastically empowering and well-written, but my personal favourite is probably The Little Mermaid, in which two princesses from rival kingdoms (one a mermaid) come together to clean up the polluted seas and end up getting married. With its colourful illustrations and gold-foiled red cover, this would make a memorable gift for budding feminists and princesses alike.
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