Hello, friends! Our book today is Princess For Hire, written by Kimberley M. and illustrated by Mariel G., an unconventional princess tale.

Yuri is an orphan girl whose only dream is to become a princess – not for the pomp and sparkle, but so she can help people in need. She’s not sure such a dream could ever come true, but she dreams nonetheless. One day, she sees someone post a sign in the marketplace: “PRINCESS FOR HIRE”. The childless King and Queen are planning to retire, and want to find the perfect princess for take their place. Yuri knows that this is her destiny, and sets off to the palace to apply. When given her royal audience and is asked why she should be princess, she speaks from the heart: she is loyal, kind, intelligent, and she wants to help the people of her land. The King and Queen decide that Yuri is the perfect princess, and immediately welcome her into their family, giving Yuri not only her dream of a crown but a loving home as well.

Very sweet. It was nice to see a princess rise from humble beginnings through her courage, determination, and hope. I would have liked to have seen examples of her kindness and generosity in the art or text, as it would have further endeared Yuri to the reader, and to have seen more tension during the plot’s climax, which was fairly abrupt. But those and the somewhat inconsistent rhyme scheme of the text are my only complaints. This is still a wonderful story about a good-natured girl finding both a crown and a family, made all the more special by both Yuri and the royals being depicted as people of color, a rarity for princess stories. The kawaii-influenced art is sweet and bright, the length is good, and JJ and I enjoyed it. A wonderful story to show little princesses that, with a brave spirit and a kind heart, no dream is too big. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the author in exchange for an honest review.)