The Practical Princess (Hippo Fantasy S.)

The practical princess is not your regular wimpy princess. In fact she couldn't be more different, no swooning, getting saved from dragons, or being whisked off by handsome princes. She knows what she wants and just how to get it.

Today, I sing the praises of reprints. I've seen a lot of them this year, and these are the standouts. A truly lovely creation, each and every one. Your bookshelves will be richer for having them.
Years ago I first encountered a mention of The Practical Princess in Phil Nel's Tales for Little Rebels, and I've wanted to see a copy of it ever since. Now it's possible! Thanks to the workings of Purple House Press, this subversive bit of 1969 feminism is available once more for one and all to see. Enjoy it! --Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal

In this original fairy tale, first published in 1969, the clever princess Bedelia vanquishes a dragon with her wits (Dragons, she said, are not very bright) well, her wits and a hundred pounds of gunpowder. When her feat attracts the unwanted attention of evil suitor Lord Garp, she not only dispatches him but also in a reversal of Rapunzel mixed with Sleeping Beauty rescues a handsome, if temporarily too-hirsute, prince. Williams's lively and matter-offactly feminist text is accompanied by Henstra's quirky crosshatched illustrations in jewel colors, full of pattern and motion. A welcome reissue, indeed. --Martha V. Parravano, November/December 2017 Horn Book Magazine