By Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
90 pages
While the oldest of my 3 kids is only 3 1/2 years old and I wasn't sure if they would be ready for a chapter book yet, "The Princess In Black" not only captured their attention, it was a "winner" in that they wanted to look through it all day the next day and the day after that.
They are not reading quite yet, but I have been finding more and more that the simplicity of some of the books recommended for their age no longer holds their attention. So consider me surprised and impressed when they sat quietly through my entire reading of the illustrated, 90 page long book the first time.
The characters are wonderfully imaginative; from Princess Magnolia and her alter ego, the Princess in Black, to the blue monster she battles, to the Goat Boy who is inspired by the hero who saves him, to Duchess Wigtower whose snooping nearly uncovers the true identity of the Princess in Black, all the characters are lovable, despite some of their hankering for devouring goats.
In addition, the high-energy, action-oriented story captivated my son, as much as, the irrepressible Princess in Black is the kind of female character that I love to read about to my daughter. There really is something to capture the imagination of both boys and girls of any age!
Author Shannon Hale is an accomplished, award-winning author of several popular young adult series, and she has teamed up with her husband Dean Hale to co-author this imaginative, superheroic twist on the storybook princess with "The Princess in Black".
I also wish to note that I was initially drawn to the book by the great artwork. The illustrator, LeUyen Pham, draws you in with the exciting Princess in Black action pose on the cover and then she helps to breath life into the story with her incredible illustrations inside.
I later learned that Illustrator LeUyen Pham is not just a noted illustrator, but after working as an animator at Dreamworks, she has also penned and illustrated several of her own children's books which we will likely be reviewing as soon as we can get our hands on them!
SuperDad Book Grade: A definite A+!
Buy The Princess in Black HERE!
Will you be buying or did you read "The Princess in Black"? Let us know what you think about it in the comments below!
