Princesses Are Not Quitters! [Hardcover]

Kate Lum (Author), Susan Hellard (Illustrator), Sue Hellard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Princesses Are Not...

Bored just sitting around their garden over breakfast, three princesses decide to swap "jobs" with their servants. The housekeeper gives them a long list of chores to keep them busy for the day: sweeping, dusting, polishing, tending to the gardens, and many other tedious tasks. The next morning, when the princesses find themselves appreciating the fruits of their own labors they decide that a proclamation is in order: "Rest when you are tired. Eat when you are hungry..." and many other necessary and wonderful rules. Will life ever be the same again in this princessdom by the sea?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Bored with their lives of pampered luxury, Princesses Allie, Mellie, and Libby enviously watch three servant girls "Out in the fresh air, doing interesting things" and decide to swap jobs for a day. The young royals eagerly run off to work in high-heeled shoes and towering bouffant hairdos, but after polishing the windows, scrubbing the fountains, and washing the dogs, they begin to realize just how hard they must toil. Their afternoon and evening chores seem even more daunting, from making butter to shearing sheep, but they persevere. The next morning, although exhausted, the formerly spoiled young ladies take pride in their accomplishments: "Say! I think- I made this bread!" With newfound empathy for others, they proclaim new rules: "WORK no more than you can do" and "SPEND an hour every day just SITTING in the gardens." Hellard's watercolor illustrations humorously depict the mayhem created as the princesses try, often unsuccessfully, to keep up with the ever-growing list of duties. Witty details, such as a chicken making a nest and laying eggs in Princess Libby's voluminous hair, are sure to please. Children will enjoy the role reversal in this lighthearted tale.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. "Being a princess is the dullest ever," moans Princess Allie, who, along with her two sisters, decides to liven things up by trading places with three palace servants for a day. Supervised by amused Mrs. Blue, the sisters labor from morning until night, determined not to let anyone say "Princesses are quitters!" The following morning, the three emerge with a changed worldview and issue new regulations in their "princessdom": fewer working hours, more food, and more fun. Best of all, the princesses, having learned the satisfaction of work, continue to help with chores. Lum's messages are heavy, but her whimsical text will lend itself well to reading aloud, taking on an almost chanting rhythm as it lists the princesses' chores: "SWEEP the path and WEED the garden and SCRUB the fountains." Hellard's scribbly watercolors enhance the cheeky fun, mixing silly details with enough elaborate gowns and lavish palace scenes to satisfy young royalists. For another princess tale about strong, unconventional girls, suggest Robert San Souci's A Weave of Words (1998). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1 edition (March 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158234762X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582347622
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,185,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by.

A bit about me: I was born in New England but live in Ontario. I have two kids who are almost grown up. I wrote "What!" for my son, and the first "Princess" book for my daughter.

"What! Cried Granny" is for every kid who resists bedtime, and every adult who makes it happen anyway. Brilliant illustrations by Adrian Johnson.

The "Princess" series -- their third story is coming soon!-- is about three imperfect but good-hearted Princesses. They run their own Princessdom, not without mishaps; they figure it out as they go. Hilarious illustrations by Sue Hellard. Check out the hairdos!

"Stanley's No-Hic Machine" is the fourth in a series about Stanley the capable dog, by wonderfully quirky artist Bernice Lum.

Enjoy!

Kate

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, July 8, 2004

By 

Wm19 (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princesses Are Not Quitters! (Hardcover)

My niece is 5 years old and wants to be a princess. Princess clothes, princess stories, princess pictures. She thinks being a princess means you are the most beautiful of all, have the most beautiful clothes, and get the handsome prince. Beauty is the sole criterion for princesshood.

Thankfully, there's this book to teach her that the most important and admirable quality in princesses is that they try new things, work hard, are nice to others and never give up. This book gets 5 stars because it's funny, imaginative, excellently illustrated, and reminds kids that princesses have moral qualities of being good people. It's not enough to be beautiful, pampered, rich and wear beautiful clothing; a princess should also be kind, industrious and have a sense of self-respect and a strong work ethic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, wonderful!, June 5, 2003

By 

Adria P. Schoen "adrias" (Rockville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princesses Are Not Quitters! (Hardcover)

This is the perfect updated fairy tale. It's light and charming, and makes you feel it's okay to let your little ones indulge their princess obsessions. The three bored princesses trade places with their servants for a day, and it turns out to be a real eye-opener. The princesses make a change for good, and end up sharing the palace workload on a permanent basis. The message of compassion is never too sappy, sweet, or preachy, and the illustrations are truly humorous. I also really enjoyed the rhythm of the text when reading it to my kids. My two girls love it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About the race to discover one's own capabilities, April 20, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princesses Are Not Quitters! (Hardcover)

Kate Lum's Princesses Are Not Quitters is a humorous picture book story about three bored princesses who decided to become servants for a day. But it turns out that servants have so much to do, in so little time! Charmingly illustrated by Sue Hellard, Princesses Are Not Quitters is an adventurous and recommended read about the race to discover one's own capabilities.