Vivian French (text), Marta Dissi (illus.), The Cherry Pie Princess, Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2017, 176pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781406368970
Peony is not a typical princess. While her older sisters squabble about princess-y things, Peony prefers to widen her mind. At first, she takes cooking lessons. But when her father, the King, finds out, he puts a stop to her training. So Peony visits the library only to cause the helpful librarian to land in the dungeon. Then, with the christening of her little brother just a day away, Peony is tossed in the same prison. She soon realises that maybe, just maybe, her father is a terrible tyrant. But when an evil hag tries to ruin the day, Peony is the only one who can save the kingdom.
There is a lot of action packed into few pages in The Cherry Pie Princess. Poor Peony is just trying to be her own sweet self, but since that’s not what princesses are supposed to do in this kingdom, she keeps landing in trouble. But Peony relies on herself — and her uncanny ability to escape any confinement — in order to rescue the little prince and save the kingdom. This ‘believe in yourself’ message is in welcome contrast to the ‘need to be saved’ princess tales of yesteryear.
The Cherry Pie Princess brings contemporary attitudes to the traditional princess tale in a light, fun junior fiction book. Young readers will quickly see the contrast between perky Peony and her mean-spirited sisters and cheer for Peony to become her amazing cherry-pie-baking self. A broad cast of characters including three underutilized fairy godmothers, a magical talking cat and a hag with a score to settle, puts a unique spin on this story. Written for children 7+, bestselling author Vivian French introduces a lovable heroine in Peony who is brought to life by Marta Kissi’s enchanting illustrations.
Reviewed by Stephanie Ward
