Smiljana CohRecensioni

Smart princesses working out problems

Cute, sweet with delightful art.

Antonia is a princess who has all the nicest things she could ever want, however, she is always bored. She tried to call her friends; Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty; however, they are always busy. One day while she was bored in her room, Antonia decides to run away into the forest. She runs to Rapunzel and Rapunzel runs away with her. Cinderella then joins the two. They run into Snow White who joins them on their run. Later Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood join in as well. Woodland creatures and the Three Billy Goats Gruff also join in on the fun. Once they all reach a cliff and see the sunset, they decide it is time to go home but all agree that they need to do this again sometime. When they returned everything was different. Rapunzel cut off all her hair, Cinderella became a fashion designer, Sleeping Beauty started doing yoga, and Snow White became a cross country runner. Antonia decided to donate all of her toys and realized how lucky she was.

This book is about a princess named Antonia who has everything she could ever want but is bored with life. One day she just starts running and ends up meeting up with her other princess friends and other woodland creatures and they all just run till they can run no more. Then they all find hobbies and find peace within themselves to not be bored anymore. This is a good fantasy/ fairytale because there are princesses, woodland creatures who go with the princesses, and children who run deeeeeeeep into the dark, scary forest. I would use this for primary or intermediate students. Illustrations are in watercolor and press print.

Fighting, and getting along.

This is another version of the story of the classic princesses, wherein they escape the boredom that they feel in their fairytale lives and 'go on the run.' Led by the main princess, Antonia, a group of young ladies run through the forest picking up friends along the way. After this newfound experience of freedom, the princesses reassess their lives and follow their passions.

Princess Antonia is bored with her perfect life and she runs away, picking up an assortment of princesses along the way. Along with Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel et al, she has adventures along the way with her princess friends till they reach the Ocean. Then, they all decide to go back home.

Fun new twist to a story about princesses! A little "out of the box", but not extremely progressive, I will say. I think any little one that likes more feminine things would love this, but I am bummed the context of "being feminine" is somehow just only for girls still.

I loved the illustrations and how the story incorporated other well-known princesses. I was a little concerned over the whole running away story-line, but was pleased to see how they decided to go back home in the end. I also thought it was cute how Princess Antonia is holding what appears to be a cell phone or iPod in the story, adding a modern touch.

I did not like this book at all. I did not think that the illustrations were very good, and I think that the language was clear. I felt like the author was trying to write this book for children, but used words that would not be understood by children. Also, the plot was somewhat confusing, in the beginning of the book the main character is very bored because she can not play with the other princesses and does not want to play with her toys.Although when trying to find and adventure she ends up bringing the other princesses with her and at the very end she ends up playing with her toys at home as well.

Little Kid Reaction: I liked how the author speaks to the reader from the big sister's perspective. The book captures the excitement and lets the big sister-to-be to decide what she wants to teach the new arrival. It opens the child's mind to discussing their feelings about the change, too. I would definitely recommend this book to read to all girls whot are becoming a big sister.

Big Kid Reaction: The simple illustrations and text make this book accessible to toddlers and kindergarteners alike. The pages are sturdier than most hardcovers for kids, which is great, since young girls will likely want to read this for themselves.

Pros: Bright colors, simple text, and a sense of nurturing make this a nice selection for soon to be big sisters.

Cons: None here. One book reviewer took issue with "stereotyping" girls.

Little Kid Reaction: I liked how the author speaks to the reader from the big brother's viewpoint. The book captures the excitement and allows the big brother-to-be to explore his ability to set goals of what he wants to teach the new arrival. It opens the child's mind to discussing their feelings about the change, too. I would definitely recommend this book to read to all boys that are becoming a big brother.

Big Kid Reaction: The simple illustrations and text make this book accessible to toddlers and kindergarteners alike. The pages are sturdier than most hardcovers for kids, which is great, since young boys will likely want to read this for themselves.

Pros: Bright colors, simple text, and a sense of nurturing make this a nice selection for soon to be big-brothers.

Cons: None here. One book reviewer took issue with "stereotyping" boys.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.

Being a big sister can be a lot of fun. When a new sibling comes along there is no need to be jealous. Older siblings can be joyous. One little girl realizes that she can make the baby happy and teach her things that she knows. A big sister can teach a little sister to swing, dance, skate and stack blocks. A big sister can help a little sister take a bath and even though a little sister can't do much, she can listen to a big sister tell a story.

Smiljana Coh shows siblings what they can do when there is a new family member. Simple sentences and geometrically shaped characters make this a caring and educational read for any child. Parents can teach siblings how to touch and talk to the new baby.

Being a big brother is really cool. When a new sibling comes along there is no need to be jealous. Older siblings can be joyous. A big brother can show a little brother how to kick a ball, jump, run and even ride a bike. Big brothers remember what it was like to be little. Big brothers sleep in a big bed. Big brothers can go to the bathroom with very little help. When little brothers get bigger, big brothers can share their bicycle.

Smiljana Coh teaches caring and respect from one brother to another. Simple sentences and geometric shapes of characters make this a fun and enlightening read for any child. Parents can teach young siblings how to touch and talk to a new baby brother.