Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale by Ellen Dee Davidson, Michael Chesworth (Illustrator)

Children's Literature

A spoiled and demanding princess sends her nanny off to get her a pet. The indefatigable nanny bravely treks all over the world, bringing back a variety of creatures, each of which the princess rejects. The puffer fish doesn't pay enough attention to her; the unicorn from the enchanted forest doesn't listen; the toucan from the Amazon isn't clever enough; the flying kangaroo is boring, and so it goes, until the nanny says she thinks the princess has enough pets. But the ensuing ruckus sends the nanny off in a hot air balloon to the ends of the earth to find a gryphon. The delighted princess says, "He's perfect." The gryphon swallows her, burps, and flies away. For this is "a cautionary tale," after all. Chesworth uses watercolors with colored pencils and gouache lightheartedly, telling the visual tale mostly in action vignettes with occasional full-page scenes to add comic touches. The princess's appearance, fat and ugly, matches her disposition; the nanny is thin but resolute to the end. The other "pets" are charming, while the gryphon fills a full page with regal, even threatening posture, as all but the unaware princess cower in a corner.

Suzanne Myers HaroldCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1
Princess Justina Albertina likes getting her own way. Her nanny, when faced with a choice between a headache-inducing royal tantrum or giving in to the princess's demands, always caves. So when the youngster insists on getting the perfect pet, her nanny does her best to oblige, scouring the Earth for unusual animals. None of them is quite right, though: the puffer fish ignores the princess, she cannot ride the two-headed dog, and the monkey scares too easily. Finally, the nanny returns with a fierce gryphon, which the princess declares is perfect. This time, however, Princess Justina Albertina has bitten off more than she can chew, with tragic results. The book's cover hints at what is to come: while the princess dances in the background, a grim-faced nanny holds up a sign that reads, "A Cautionary Tale." Humorous details pack the cartoon illustrations, which are done with a mix of watercolor, colored pencil, and gouache. The nanny's outfit changes for each expedition: lederhosen for the unicorn, a wet suit for surfing Australia's shark-infested waters. The princess is frankly repulsive, with buck teeth, a piggy nose, and fierce green eyes glaring through round glasses. Nanny and the rejected pets clearly find her intimidating. The busy spreads contrast well with the dramatic conclusion, in which the nanny is left standing all alone, saying "Oh, dear." The end result is a deliciously satisfying tale about the dangers of acting like a spoiled princess.

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