The secret is out on these princesses

by | Jul 7, 2010 | Books for Kids | 12 comments

The secret is out on these princesses

The Secret Lives of PrincessesI’ve fought the princessification of my girls valiantly, as a mama who wants her girls to admire heroes who don’t wait around for some dumb prince to find their happiness. As you may guess, it didn’t work; they love princess everything, though I try to keep all the tiaras, gowns and storybooks confined to their very-pink bedroom.

So why is The Secret Lives of Princesses front and center on my coffee table?

[see the giveaway after the jump]


If ever a princess book was made to appeal to grown-ups as well as their offspring, this is it. Originally written in French, Philippe Lechermeier’s text is sophisticated, witty, and laugh-out-loud outrageous at times. The Secret Lives of Princesses is not so much a story book as a collection of bios on a bunch of princesses who have been “hidden” until now (hence the “secret lives” in the title).

Cool Mom Picks Pick of the Year 2010Once you get to meet these princesses, it’s pretty clear why no Disney movie has been made of them, since they most certainly break the mold. Among the crowd: The Eco Princess who has birds living in her hair and demands her prince must not be afraid of heights, lightning or beetles. And then there is Prince S, the brother who swapped places with his royal sister and continues to live in disguise, even with facial hair.

The illustrations by Rebecca Dautremer are to-die-for gorgeous, with loads of detail and humor. Do not sit down and look at this book before making dinner or the whole family will go hungry. And I have to stop myself from ripping out pages to frame, so perfect are some of the illustrations for a child’s bedroom.

While preschoolers will love to flip the pages and may understand some of the text, this book is a bit dense and slyly humorous for a little one. But, my nine-year-old who swears she’s no longer “into” princesses has been found hiding under her covers at night with a flashlight, meeting all the secret princesses. -Christina

The Secret Lives of Princesses is available at our affiliate Amazon.

Congratulations to Janice L, lucky winner of a copy of The Secret Lives of Princesses!
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Written by Christina Refford

Christina Refford is a longtime CMP contributor turned Senior Associate Editor. She's based in MA, and a cool mom of 3 (including two college students!) who all eat entirely different foods, so yay. She loves running, social media, cooking, decluttering, family travel, animals, avoiding scary movies, and coffee. Not at all in that order.
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12 Comments

  4. Elizabeth on July 7, 2010 at 9:47 am

    Oddly enough, I got this tweet right before reading this review:

    sesamestreet Abby: Rosita and I like to play princess, but that doesn’t mean we’re waiting for a prince to rescue us! It just means we like to dress up!

    Reply
  5. Bettina Rose Hughes on July 7, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    I rasied a Princess, all my men friends called her that..But she grew up and had two little boys, so for her family that is where the Princeses ended!!

    Reply
  6. Lesli C on July 7, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    Oh we so need this! 🙂

    Reply
  7. bombaygirl on July 7, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    Oblivia

    Reply
  8. Hanan on July 7, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    My daughter would LOVE this book!

    Reply
  9. Megan on July 8, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    would love to win

    Reply
  10. Colleen Kapase on July 9, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    If you have an older girl then the “Ordinary Princess” is a GREAT book. She has 9 perfect sisters, but she “cursed” with being ordinary and yet by the end of the book her personality, wit, and intelligence save the day!

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth on May 2, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Is there a link to buy the original French version?

    Reply

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