Morgenstern, Susie. Princesses are People Too. Viking, 2002. ISBN 978-0670035670 52 pp. $16

****

Two lonely princesses find friendship and love in this humorous and straightforward pair of tales. In the first story, a princess goes to school for the first time and finds the joy of the ordinary things in life such as jeans and school, while in the second, a princess searches for the perfect prince to scratch the unreachable itch in the center of her back. Yona learns that every father thinks his little girl is a princess, while Emma discovers that sometimes you have to do a lot of searching to find the perfect mate.

There are no damsels in distress here; it is a relief to see more princesses who think for themselves and solve their own problems. Morgenstern skillfully blends whimsy with the mundane and produces likeable characters in familiar situations. The cartoon-like line drawings add to the comic tales that are enhanced by pun, hyperbole and rhyme.

Not a necessity for collections, but if you have students with fairy tale assignments, these modern stories would pair nicely with fractured fairy tales. Place in the hands of younger fans of Gail Carson Levine.