Princesses Don't Wear Glasses


Book Description

Seeing is believing in yourself! “[A] light, heartwarming story . . . The themes of self-esteem and feeling different are very relatable” (Online Book Club). The concept for Princesses Don’t Wear Glasses is to communicate to kids that it’s perfectly acceptable to be unique or different. Geared towards the modern girl for building confidence and positive self-image, it shines light on a young princess who thinks that she’s supposed to look a certain way. Illustrated with colorful imagery, the story is driven by the princess’s amazing imagination and she eventually changes her attitude towards being a princess that wears glasses. Princesses can wear glasses, and even braces. They don’t have to look or be one certain way and all girls can be princesses no matter what. “A change in appearance can be difficult for a child to adjust to. Many children have to wear glasses, braces, or other type of health aid. This can create feelings of insecurity and anxiety . . . [A] sweet story about a common issue.” —Online Book Club




Princess Peepers


Book Description

When the other princesses make fun of her for wearing glasses, Princess Peepers vows to go without, but after several mishaps--one of which is especially coincidental--she admits that she really does need them if she wants to see.




Princesses Wear Pants


Book Description

From NBC’s TODAY coanchor Savannah Guthrie and educator Allison Oppenheim comes an empowering fairy tale with a twist. In the tradition of Not All Princesses Dress in Pink and Princess in Black, Princesses Wear Pants follows the unflappable Princess Penelope Pineapple, who knows how to get the job done while staying true to herself. Princess Penelope lives in a beautiful palace with a closet full of beautiful dresses. But being a princess is much, much more than beauty. In fact, every morning Princess Penelope runs right past her frilly dresses to choose from her beloved collection of pants! What she wears each day depends on which job she has to do. Will she command the royal air force sporting her sequined flight suit? Will she find her zen in her yoga pants and favorite tee? Or, will she work in the kingdom’s vegetable garden with pocketed overalls for all of her tools? Unfortunately for Princess Penelope, not everyone in the Pineapple Kingdom thinks pants are always appropriate princess attire. When the grand Lady Busyboots demands that Princess Penelope must wear a gown to the annual Pineapple Ball, the young royal finds a clever way to express herself. Penelope’s courage (and style choices) result in her saving the day! In their debut children’s picture book, Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim team up for a savvy and imaginative story that celebrates fashion and girl power. Perfect for fans of Nickelodeon’s Nella the Princess Knight, Princesses Wear Pants challenges gender stereotypes in the name of individuality, showing girls it’s not how they look but what they do that matters.




Once Upon a Princess


Book Description

Having quickly fled with her mom and sister to America, twelve-year-old Fredericka tries to rally prevalent help for her imperial family so as to battle a revolt in her nation of origin, Colsteinburg.




Princess Hair


Book Description

Princesses with curls wear pearls. Princesses with head wraps take long naps. And princesses with teeny-weeny Afros wear teeny-weeny bows. Celebrate different hair shapes, textures, and styles in this self-affirming picture book! From dreadlocks to blowouts to braids, Princess Hair shines a spotlight on the beauty and diversity of black hair, showing young readers that every kind of hair is princess hair. Debut author-illustrator Sharee Miller encourages confidence and pride in this playful, colorful picture book that teaches readers to love every bit of themselves.




Princesses Save the World


Book Description

The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Princesses Wear Pants by TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie and parent educator Allison Oppenheim Princess Penelope Pineapple is back and ready to save the day! When she receives an SOS from Princess Sabrina Strawberry, Princess Penny learns that the Strawberry Kingdom’s bees have disappeared. Without bees, how will they enjoy their most precious fruit? Penny knows the power of teamwork, so she calls a meeting of the Fruit Nations! And princesses from around the land—from Princess Beatrice Blueberry to Princess Kira Kiwi—answer the call to help a friend in need. With a little creative thinking and a whole lot of girl power, the princesses work together for bee-utiful results. TODAY’s beloved coanchor Savannah Guthrie and educator Allison Oppenheim have crafted another irresistible tale that celebrates how nothing is sweeter than friendship.




Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror


Book Description

What makes a princess excellent? Eager to learn the answer, an enchantress casts her magic mirror into our universe. Reflected in it are princesses from around the world and across centuries who refuse to be pretty, polite, and obedient. Princess Leila of the desert protects her people from the king with the black-and-gold banner; Princess Tica takes a crocodile for a pet; Princess Ellen explores the high seas; Princess Abayome puts empathy and kindness above royal beauty; and in an apartment building, a girl named Princess saves her community’s beloved garden from the hands of urban developers. These girls are fierce, brave, and determined to do the rescuing themselves. Connecting their stories is the magic mirror, which reveals itself when each girl needs it most, illuminating how a princess’s power comes not from her title or looks, but from her own inner strength. These beautifully imagined stories, complemented by vibrant and inviting artwork, are by turns charming and bold, familiar and surprising.




Princesses Can Fix It!


Book Description

The castle is crawling with wayward alligators, and the clueless king doesn’t know how to fix it. Lila, Margaret, and Harriet have lots of ideas, but their father won’t listen! According to him, the Princesses should be focusing on proper pursuits like drawing, jewelry, and music. When the three girls start falling asleep during the day, the King sends the Prince to investigate ... What he discovers is that the three princesses are gathering at night to use their knowledge of the six simple machines to invent an ingenious alligator removal contraption in their secret workshop. This STEAM-focused take on the classic fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses includes fun illustrations bursting with hilarious detail (and alligators), zany characters, and three inspiring princesses who know that they have what takes to save the day.




Cinderella Ate My Daughter


Book Description

Peggy Orenstein, acclaimed author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers Girls & Sex and Schoolgirls, offers a radical, timely wake-up call for parents, revealing the dark side of a pretty and pink culture confronting girls at every turn as they grow into adults. Sweet and sassy or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast as the source of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages. But how dangerous is pink and pretty, anyway? Being a princess is just make-believe; eventually they grow out of it . . . or do they? In search of answers, Peggy Orenstein visited Disneyland, trolled American Girl Place, and met parents of beauty-pageant preschoolers tricked out like Vegas showgirls. The stakes turn out to be higher than she ever imagined. From premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is undeniable—yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives.




Pictures of Girlhood


Book Description

Although the "coming of age" story has been a popular film plot for decades, producers have only recently realized the commercial potential of targeting films to adolescent girls. Movies like Clueless, Legally Blonde and Mean Girls have been successfully marketed to teenage girls, as have several well-known independent films. Important as both cultural indicators and catalysts, these films simultaneously demonstrate pop culture's influence on girls' films, and the ability of girls' films to affect pop culture and perceptions of girlhood. This critical survey of film and the modern girl concentrates largely on films of the last two decades, addressing key themes for girls within "coming of age" films, the changing (but not always improving) young feminine paradigm, and the ways these films can be powerful determinants of culture. The first chapter explores the ways in which girls' films construct, reinforce, challenge and dismantle mainstream conceptualizations of sexuality, race and power. The second chapter discusses mainstream limitations of "coming of age" narratives, including recycled plots and stars, treatments of parental and male authority, and adult conceptualizations of adolescence. The third chapter describes girls' experiences within these narratives through such conventions as attitude, teen fashion, music and dance, unsanctioned rites of passage, and race. The fourth chapter covers the negotiation of sex and sexuality, virginity and sexual empowerment. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.