Interstellar Cinderellar

 By Deborah Underwood
Illustrated by Meg Hunt

This one isn't bad, except that it's in verse, which is annoying, because it's definitely meant for older kids.  Plus the verses don't cover the details of the story; they'll have a vague explanation of what's going on and fill in the blanks with they picture.  So I end up cutting in with explanations because it's even a little confusing for me at times.

I'm pretty sure they stole the pet mouse and the stepsister's name from the Disney movie.  Which are little examples of a bit of laziness here and there.

But I'm happy that everyone is ugly in this book (but charmingly drawn).  I'm happy that Cinderella is a mechanical nerd.  I'm happy that she actually hangs out with the prince and develops a relationship with him, and STILL decides not to marry him in the end.

It's not perfect, but it's good enough.  Plus, my daughter likes it as much or more as her Disney Cinderella book.

Everything is better when it takes place in space.

The Paper Bag Princess

 By Robert Muncsch
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko

I've always hated the whole princess thing.  My daughter talks about being a princess all the time, for instance, just because everyone tells her that she is one.  But if you ask her what a princess is, she'll give you a very vague confused answer.  She has no idea what it is.  Why do they call her princess?  What do they think it means to her?  Why do we have these weird expectations that all girl aspire to be wealthy layabouts with ties to authority but no real authority of their own?  There are many articles about the Princess complex, so I think that's about as far into it as I'll go today.

  I never realized just how much I hated the princess thing until I started reading fairy tales to my daughter.  It probably didn't help that I started with "The Princess and the Pea".  Or that in the version that I read, the prince and princess were 12 and didn't spend more than a couple hours in each other's company before they were married.

But it's all good, because "The Paper Bag Princess" exists to balance out all of that nonsense.  It's so important to learn that sometimes princes are selfish jerks that aren't worth the effort.  So have the self confidence to go it alone!

Also, sitting around in a castle all day wearing fancy dresses is much less fun than running around the countryside in a paper bag outwitting dragons.

Deep Sea Farm

 By Dahlov Ipcar

I got this one because it was cheap.  It's pretty weird, but I like it.  It is a list of sea animals and plants that are named after land-dwelling creatures.  The paintings are beautiful, and the story is calm and educational.

 I am tagging this book as feminist because even if it is about a man, it's about a merman farmer, which goes against the current gender biases, I think.

 It's also animal friendly, because the farmer is vegetarian and saves all of the fish from being caught by the evil fisherman.  He does go hunting with a giant sword, but I think he's supposed to be hunting predatory fish who are harming his fish friends.

There's no real climax to the story.  It's just slice-of-life.  Slice of a merman farmer's life.

It's a really weird book.  But it makes it that much more intriguing for kids, I think.