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Volume VIII Number 12 . . . . February 15, 2002
To Be a Princess,
which recounts the stories of twelve royal princesses, covers a period
from 1516 to the present. It clearly demonstrates that the lives of princesses
are not all jewels and honors---most of the women described encountered
onerous duties, hardships, and, in some cases, assassination. Their lives
are told in clear, simple language and, in cases where she became queen,
each princess's story is followed by a chart showing important dates that
took place during her reign.
One interesting feature of this book
is that it includes four stories from outside the British Isles: from
Hawaii, India, Russia and France. The account of Gayatri "Ayesha" Devi
of India, who married the maharaja of Jaipur and later became the first
maharani to obtain a seat in the country's parliament, is particularly
interesting, since her story is not well known. Also of note is the
life of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawaii who was prevented from becoming
queen when Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1897. Details
of the lives of Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Victoria, of Marie Antoinette,
the daughters of the Tsar and of Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret
are more familiar but are told in an informative and highly readable
manner.
The illustrations in To Be a Princess
are specially worth mentioning. Besides a large number of historical
photographs, Toronto artist Laurie McGaw has produced a full page painting
of each of the women studied showing her as she would have appeared
as a young woman. The picture of Elizabeth I is particularly attractive.
While the authors take pains to tell
of the drawbacks of royal life, many young readers will still find the
details of these lives appealing. To Be a Princess is a well
designed, lavishly illustrated volume that is good value for the money.
Recommended.
Helen Norrie is the Children's Book Columnist for the Winnipeg Free
Press and an instructor in children's literature at the University of
Manitoba.
To comment on this
title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other
reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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