Once Upon a Goat (Dan Richards)

 

We loved the surprise when the Queen and King had a child and it turned out to be a goat. We laughed out loud. 

Goodreads says:

A twisted fairy tale about a king and queen who wish for a child of their own…and end up with a baby goat.

Once upon a time, a very prim and proper king and queen begged their fairy godmother for a child. They’d prefer a boy, with glowing skin, bright eyes, and two roses for lips…but any kid will do. When they find themselves gifted with a baby goat (also known as a kid) instead, they can’t imagine how he’ll fit into their lives.

The Knight Who Took All Day

 

This was hilarious. My students really got a chuckle out of the foolish knight who was more concerned about how he looked than getting to work. Many told me they would never be like that. I had to chuckle when I said, "I know....you're always one to get straight to work!" 

*Found in our school library

Goodreads says:

There once was a knight who THOUGHT he was brave and fearless and handsome...and a princess who discovered she didn't need rescuing.

A dashing knight decides it's time to impress the golden-haired princess. All he needs is a dragon to show off his marvelous talents. One day, a huge dragon appears on the horizon, smoke pouring from his nostrils. Immediately, the knight orders his squire to fetch his armor. But will he get dressed in time--or is this knight more interested in appearances than action? After much waiting, the golden-haired princess decides to tame that fire-breathing beast herself! 

Dragon Was Terrible

This reminds me of the Jimmy Kimmell type videos where he asks kids the baddest words they know. This dragon does stuff that will make kids reel!! ....or laugh their head's off.

I am not that familiar with Kelly DiPucchio, but she gets rave reviews. I'm really enjoying her books!

Goodreads says:

We all know dragons are terrible, but this one is especially terrible. He scribbles in books. He steals candy from baby unicorns. He even burps in church. Seriously, who does that? Dragon, that's who. The king, the knights, and the villagers are desperate to take down this beast once and for all. But sometimes it's up to the unlikeliest of heroes to tame a dragon this terrible.

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess (Andrew Norton)

Let the summer reading begin!! This was a fun and relaxing way to start my summer reading.

I am a royal follower, for sure.  I hope what the author write is true. Meghan sounds like a lovely person who will be a wonderful wife for Harry.

Goodreads says:
 From Andrew Morton, the New York Times bestselling author of Diana: Her True Story, comes a revealing, juicy, and inspiring biography of Meghan Markle, the American actress who won Prince Harry's heart.

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were set up by a mutual friend on a blind date in July 201, little did they know that the resulting whirlwind romance would lead to their engagement in November 2017 and marriage in May 2018.

Since then, our fascination with the woman who has smashed the royal mold has rocketed. So different from those coy brides of recent history, Meghan is confident, charismatic, and poised; her warm and affectionate engagement interview won the hearts of the world.

In this first-ever biography of the duchess-to-be, acclaimed royal biographer, Andrew Morton, goes back to Meghan's roots to uncover the story of her childhood growing up in The Valley in Los Angeles, her studies ta an all-girls Catholic school, and her fraught family life - a painful experience mirrored by Harry's own background. Morton also delves into her previous marriage and divorce in 2018, her struggles in Hollywood as her mixed heritage wasa time and again used against her, her big break in the hit TV show Suits, and her work for a humanitarian ambassador - the latter so reminiscent of Princess Diana's passions. Finally, we see how the royal romance played out across two continents but was kept fiercely secret, efore the news finally broke and Meghan was thrust into the global media's spotlight like never before.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with her family members and closest friends, and including never-before-seen photographs, Morton introduces us to the real Meghan as he reflects on the impact that she has already had on the rigid traditions of the House of Windsor, as well as what the future might hold.

Princess Smartypants Breaks the Rules

She's at it again. And I love it! In this book she recruits more princesses to see things her way. Fun story.


Goodreads says:

When the Queen packs off Princess Smartypants to finishing school, it seems that our favourite royal might become a perfect princess after all . . . huh, no chance! Instead, Princess Smartypants makes her own school rules and teaches those other do-goody princesses just exactly how to have fun.

Mrs. Smartypants Rules (Babette Cole)

My conservative  upbringing makes me cringe a little at Princess Smartypants - and party of me delights in reading it. Not everyone wants to get married. Nor does Princess Smartypants. In this book she wants a baby, but her parents say she can't because she doesn't have a prince. She ends up getting a baby by mistake when a recipe goes awry. Then she finds out it's not that fun and finds two dragon eggs to hatch and become her full time babysitters.

After reading a couple Princess Smartypants books I had to find out about Babette Cole. I think I like her!

Why did she write stories like this?

 .... partly because she liked to shock and partly because she felt she had a duty to make sure children were properly informed. (from an obituary in The Guardian)

And you know, that isn't always a bad thing!

Goodreads says:

Princess Smartypants has always preferred her royal pets to a pesky prince, but when she decides it would be lovely to have a baby, nothing can stand in her way!
Sure enough, a twist of fate brings her just what she has been hoping for, but she soon realizes babies can be an awful lot of trouble. Perhaps Princess Smartypants wasn't cut out for motherhood after all-but fortunately she knows just who is. . . .
Publishers Weekly wrote of the first Princess Smartypants, "Truly comical watercolors in softly glowing colors complement this fairy tale parody perfectly . . . an appealing book for budding feminists."
This is a hilarious royal romp, packed with action and drama, from master storyteller Babette Cole. 

The Princess and the Pizza

This story is quite funny. I like the independence the princess shows. My students loved the twists on the Princess and the Pea (the princess rolls her eyes at the fact that they're using the old pea under the mattress trick to see if she really is a princess). A bunch of princesses show up to compete for the chance to marry the prince. There's the one whose always tripping on her hair, the one who has all these strange little men with her, etc. In the end, she turns down the chance to marry the prince (he was named Drupert....so you can imagine how much personality he had) and opens her own pizza shop instead.

Goodreads summary:

An out of work princess must prepare a feast fit for a prince.

The Princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)

To celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, I set a goal this year to read 150 books by Canadian authors. This was my first! I took some of Kate Beaton's other books out of the library. Hark! A Vagrant was a comic book style book full of wit. I can't really include it in my list of books read though because I lost interest part way through. She's a clever author though, for sure.

The princess in this story is midunderstood. No one is realizing the potential she has quite as quick as she would like. The books is irreverent, using the word fart now and then. (We loved that in my class!) Princess Pinecone wants to be a warrior, but in the end, she gets the other warriors to join her side, of sorts. They start wearing sweaters and helps them show their warm cuddly side. If it is a story to encourage girls to be stronger and accomplish more, it fails. If it is meant to solely be entertaining, it wins.



Goodreads summary:

Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams...

From the artist behind the comic phenomenon Hark! A Vagrant, The Princess and the Pony is a laugh-out-loud story of brave warriors, big surprises, and falling in love with one unforgettable little pony.

The Ancient Oak (

This is a great story! We listened to it/read it on Tumblebooks. Great illustrations. The story kept my class enthralled.

Goodreads summary:

A princess struggles to save her kingdom from an ever-lasting winter. Will a stranger save the Kingdom - or destroy it? 'The Ancient Oak' is an all-ages fable that teaches the importance of doing the right thing.

The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch)

Today we are "comparing and contrasting" after reading The Six Blind Men and the Elephant. To practice our compare and contrast skills we read The Paper Bag Princess and Cinderella and compared and contrasted the stories.

Goodreads summary:

One of Robert Munsch's most popular and ingenious characters is now available as a doll. Dressed in her trademark paper bag, the spunky but dishevelled Elizabeth is ready to tackle new adventures.

The Princess in Black (Shannon and Dean Hale)

This book is perfect for those girls stuck inbetween wanting to be a princess and wanting to be a rough and tumble tomboy. You CAN have it all! I love the Goodreads Summary:

Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses ot only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.
 

There are even monsters in this book - but they're pretty cute. It does eat plates of toe nail clippings though!

However, in this story there is a snoopy Duchess around who believes everyone has secrets. She is determined to find the princesses' black secret.

Great blog post on Jen Robinson's book blog: 

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2015/06/the-princess-in-black-shannon-hale-dean-hale-and-leuyen-pham.html