Violetta, a little princess, is determined to become as big and strong as her brothers. She secretly teaches herself to become the bravest and cleverest knight in the land until she must face the king's best knights in a jousting tournament. Will she be ready?The Princess Knight
By Cornelia Caroline Funke, Kerstin Meyer, Anthea Bell
Published by Scholastic, 2004
ISBN 0439536308, 9780439536301
32 pages
After training his three sons in the ...
... manly arts of jousting, sword-fighting, and giving orders, the King decides to treat his young (motherless) daughter the same way. Violetta's brothers tease her because she's little and laugh as she struggles to mount her horse while wearing heavy armor. Determined, she practices at night until she is better than her brothers, who stop calling her Itsy-Bitsy Little Vi. For her 16th birthday, the King holds a jousting tournament, offering Vi's hand in marriage to the winner. Vowing not to marry a dimwit in a tin suit, she disguises herself as Sir No-Name and defeats all the knights, declaring she will only marry one who can defeat her. Years later, she does marry—but not the expected knight. Horizontal illustration strips whimsically generate the action in soft colors against white backgrounds. The feisty heroine proves that determination can be mightier than the sword. Droll fun. (Picture book. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.
PreS-Gr 2-King Wilfred teaches his ...
... daughter the same knightly skills he has taught his three sons. Mocked by her brothers for being smaller and weaker, Violetta grows more determined to succeed. She creeps out at night to practice her sword fighting and horseback riding. With perseverance, the "nimble and quick" Princess becomes an expert jouster. In honor of her 16th birthday, the king announces a tournament with the victory prize being her hand in marriage. Outraged and appalled, Violetta cries: "You want me to marry some dimwit in a tin suit? Just look at your own knights! They whip their horses and they can't even write their own names!" Taking matters into her own hands, she disguises herself in armor and poses as "Sir No-Name." After defeating the other contenders, she reveals her true identity and chooses her prize-independence. Meyer's ink-and-watercolor illustrations run across the pages in panels and were inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry. Children will pore over the medieval details. Pair this spirited tale with Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess (Turtleback, 1980) for a discussion of gender stereotypes.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada Reed Business Information (c) 2004
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