by Peter Bently
illustrated by Claire Powell
 
Based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, with an extra twist and several giggles. Prince Fredwin’s birthday is looming. He tells best friend, Prince Zac, that a 21-year-old has to be wed. For that, he says, he’ll need “A genuine, proper and perfect princess”.  Zac replies, “Can’t you change your Old Rule…how about something like Follow Your Heart?”  Prince Fred isn’t so sure… And then, one stormy dark night, a dripping wet hiker drops by. She says she needs a bed for the night and declares herself a princess. Prince Fred has his doubts –“She’s loud! She wears trousers!”- and resolves to put her to the test with some mattresses and a pea. But not only does Princess Ardwenna outwit him, she also seems surprisingly uninterested in marriage for herself and instead has a rather different proposal in store… 
 
A perfectly flipped fairy tale in fluent rhymes with a superior dazzle of illustrations extending right through to the multi coloured dotty end pages. Extra marks for the range of patterned pyjamas and the palace pug (?) dog who enjoys its own adventures off to the sides of the pages. ‘Fabulous. The motto of the tale- make a new rule if the old one doesn’t work anymore- is liberating and encourages us all to become allies like Princess Ardwenna and help people like Fred and Zac to live their best lives’ (Mark Jennett, Equalities Trainer/Consultant, Letterbox Library reviewer). [Prince Fredwin and Princess Ardwenna are white; Prince Zac is a person of colour]. Age 4-7,  Paperback 26pp 
 
Themes: Gender Equality  Themes: LQBTQ+