The princess and the pony by Kate Beaton

Princess Pinecone is the smallest princess in her kingdom and more than anything else she wants to be a mighty warrior.  Each year Princess Pinecone would look at the other warriors when they got their birthday presents.  Warriors need shields and weapons, not cozy sweaters like the ones she always got.  Hoping to make a difference, this year Pinecone has been dropping serious hints about wanting a big, fast horse fit for a warrior.  What she gets instead is a cute, round, little pony that seems distinctly lacking in the noble warrior steed department - but maybe this cute little pony is just what Pinecone needs after all.

Reviewing picture books can be challenging - especially if you don't want to ruin the punch line of the story, and that is especially true in this case!  There are a lot of things about this book that shouldn't work, but put together they seem to work perfectly.  The pictures are not the greatest of illustrations, but there is a style here that children will recognise as something they might produce.  The story also seems a little cliche, that you know what is coming, but again it really works for this story.

This is a great read for the theme of diversity, not only because Princess Pinecone is not what everyone expects her to be, but also because the other warriors discover something important about themselves as well.  Because of the storyline this is a more sophisticated picture book better suited to older preschoolers and younger school aged children rather than toddlers.  The writing and illustrations are quirky which just adds to the appeal.  This was definitely a borrow from the library book for me, but there are some parents out there who are not doubt going to adore this book and want to add it to their own collections.

If you like this book then try:

• Elephants cannot dance! by Mo Willems
• A is for musk ox by Erin Cabatingan & Matthew Myers
• New socks by Bob Shea
• I am not a worm! by Scott Tulloch
• No T.Rex in the library by Toni Buzzeo; ilustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
• Click, clack, moo: Cows that type by Doreen Cronin
• If I had a raptor by George O'Connor
• Tadpole's promise by Jeanne Willis; illustrated by Tony Ross
• No, David! by David Shannon
• Croc and bird by Alexis Deacon

Reviewed by Brilla