Princess Smartypants

by Babette Cole

Paper Book, 1986

Status

Available

Collection

Description

Not wishing to marry any of her royal suitors, Princess Smartypants devises difficult tasks at which they all fail, until the multitalented Prince Swashbuckle appears.

Subjects

User reviews

LibraryThing member BeakerPrice
Princess Smartypants is about a princess who is very happy living on her own. Trouble comes when she is told she must marry. She makes up impossible tasks for each prince to complete. This book is impossibly funny.
LibraryThing member larasimmons2
I liked this book. It defies the typical fairytale. The main theme of the book is that you should be happy with how you are. It is also a way to show that you know how to live your life.

This not so traditional story has a protagonist I really like. For example, she knows what she wants in a
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lifestyle. She does not want to get married, or be a princess. Despite the desire from her parents, Princess Smarty Pants was able to convince her suitors that they were no good. The challenges she puts her suitors through are riproaringly hilarious. It was fun to see what happened to each suitor. The final suitor, had me very curious what was going to happen to him.

The illustrations were also a lot of fun. Since the story was centralized around a princess, the colors were bright and fun. For example, there was some pink. There were also some colors that made the story a little more spunky, for example the black leather jacket. The drawings were simple which allows the reader to enjoy both the story and the pictures.
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LibraryThing member jbeliel10
Review: "Princess Smartypants" is a story about a young princess who does not want to get married. She outsmarts all her suitors until none of them even want to marry her and she confidently maintains her independence, riches, and beauty.

Genre: Fairytale

Genre Critique: This story falls under the
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genre of fairytale because it features fantasy characters and deals with romance and happiness.
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LibraryThing member satyridae
Someone gave this to Owen for an early birthday. He allowed me to read it to him one time, because there were animals in it, but since it had a plot and human characters, it was not a favorite of his. I, on the other hand, thought it clever and fun, and I've read it to several appreciative children
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since then.
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LibraryThing member cdolan10
Genre: Fantasy

Critiques: This is a fantasy book because it involves animals with human-like characteristics of standing and waving, trees that run, and princes that turn into toads. The author and illustrator create a believe place of a royal land in which unbelievable things happen to the princes
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that seek the princess.
The plot involves a person against person plot. The beginning of the story is enticing and introduces the princess character well. The story is also in chronological order, and has a resolution of the princess not having anyone to marry.

Media: watercolors and colored pencils
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LibraryThing member acasca1
I really enjoyed Babette Cole's book, Princess Smartypants. One thing I liked about it was how well developed and suspenseful the plot was. Each time a new prince came a long I was wondering if they would be able to complete the tasks that Princess Smartypants was asking of them. It seemed as
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though no prince would every meet her requirements. Then one Prince came along who did and I thought that he would be the one she chose to marry, but the story ended unexpectedly which made it all the more exciting. I also like this book because it pushes the reader to think about certain gender biases. Princess Smartypants' parents expect her to get married and in many other fairy tales the princess lives happily ever after, but only after she finds her knight in shining armor. However, in this book the princess lives happily ever after with out getting married, just as she knew she would all along. I like that this strays from the stereotypical idea of how fairy tales normally end. The big idea of this book is that women should strive for independence.
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LibraryThing member abreid1
I liked Princess Smartypants because it contradicted what many young girls dream about. Many young girls dream about wanting to be a princess when they grow up. But really, that dream isn't a reality or one that girls should dream about. For example, this young girl who should become a princess
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doesn't want to be and challenges all the boys so that she doesn't have to become a princess. She wants to be independent and doesn't want to be nice and fancy as a princess should act. I also liked the language the author used such as the silly names for the suitors, or princes. For example, a few of their names were Prince Compost, Prince Rushforth, Prince Pelvis, and Prince Boneshaker. The big idea in this book is to be independent and strong for yourself.
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LibraryThing member bstove1
In my opinion, this is a great children’s book. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the main character. She is a very independent princess, who does not want to find a prince, so she outsmarts them all with tasks that are impossible. I think this book shows a strong female, and it shows
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girls that you do not need a prince to be happy with your life. Also, I really liked the plot. I think that the author did a great job incorporating humorous tasks that the princes have to accomplish into the story. For example, Prince Vertigo has to climb an ice tower and rescue the princess. This adds an element of humor, which all children enjoy, so it isn’t just a book for young girls, but can appeal to the boys as well. The main message of this book is that to be happy in life, all you need is yourself.
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LibraryThing member ahanch1
Each page in the book had an illustration that covered the whole page. There was not a lot of text on each page which is a good technique to use for young readers. The illustrations worked as a great resource for students' comprehension. The book also included humor because the main character,
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Princess Smartypants, was able to chase every prince away with her unique animals she owned! Therefore, I really enjoyed this book. The central message is to not give up on what you want.

Summary: Princess smartypants did not want to get married. She liked being rich and spoiled. However, her parents wanted her to find a man. Princess smartypants did not like this idea. So she had many princes come to her castle and told them that if they could accomplish the list of tasks she gave them, she would let him marry her. She failed to mention that these tasks were nearly impossible. Just when she thought she got rid of all the men who wanted to marry her, Prince Swashbuckle showed up at her door. He was able to complete every single task that Princess Smartypants gave to him. He thought he out smarted the princess, until she kissed him. He immediately turned into a gigantic warty toad! He drove off as fast as he could away from her castle. After the rest of the single princes found out about her magic kisses, none of them wanted to marry her.
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LibraryThing member AmyLu
Princess Smartypants is basically the opposite of any other fairy tale princess. Her parents tell her that she has to get married, but she doesn’t want to. She comes up with all kinds of crazy tasks for her potential suitors to drive them away. When one prince who can accomplish all of her insane
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tasks shows up, she turns him into a big, warty toad.
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LibraryThing member akitso1
I really appreciate the message of this story. This story is about a girl who is supposed to find a partner but would rather be independent. Her suitors are supposed to compete for her love so she creates tasks that are impossible for them to achieve, just so she doesn't have to be married. I think
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this is a fantastic theme to communicate to young girls so they understand that they don't need to be married to be successful or happy. The typical "American Dream" is to get married and have a family. But this book explains that there are other dreams well worth having and I really like that. I am definitely a fan of this book and think that it sends a crucial message.
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LibraryThing member bexter1
This book was an interesting choice, but enjoyable because of the message that girls (and guys) can be happy without a significant other in their lives. I love the bizarre illustrations, how they seem unconventional and paint Princess Smartypants as a not typical princess without usual beautiful
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artwork and cleanliness. She’s a rebel, and the art paints her that way. I also enjoyed the use of interesting names, like Smartypants, Compost, and Pelvis, which help illustrate the characteristics of each character, and also how our princess views them. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would love to add it to my collection.
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LibraryThing member emills4
I really liked this picture book. I enjoyed the twist of the story and how even though she was a princess, she was still her own person. For example, in the beginning it starts off like any other classic fairy tale about the princess needing to marry a prince. But instead, she says that the
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possible suitors must follow her own set of contests and she designs them so she knows they will fail. I like how the heroin of the story is the princess and she does not follow the typical damsel in distress. It gives the readers a positive and strong female role model.
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LibraryThing member SamanthaThompson
I enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. The first reason was the names of the princes in the story. There were characters such as "Prince Pelvis," "Prince Compost," and "Prince Vertigo." The names of the princes matched their personality and their actions in the story. I liked the names
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because it gave the reader an idea of what the character would do before they even did it. I also found it to be a humorous and silly element in the story. Another reason I liked this book was the character of Princess Smartypants. She is a strong individual who outsmarts everyone. Even though the princess is told by her mother that she must marry a prince, she is able to get out of it by giving them challenges and denying the only prince who succeeds. She stays true to her beliefs throughout the book and does not allow a prince to marry her. The main message of this book is that girls do not have to marry anyone they do not want to. It gives girls the confidence to be independent and challenges the typical idea of a fairy-tale. Instead of portraying a princess that needs to be rescued by a prince, Cole shows a princess who challenges the princes to win her over and then decides she doesn't want to marry any of them after all.
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LibraryThing member sradin2
I really enjoyed this book for a few different reasons. The first reason that I liked this book is because of the illustrations. I thought the illustrations not only enhanced the written text, but were essential to it. I liked that the readers were able to see what all the different characters
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looked like and how big they really were. Another aspect of this book that I really liked was the written language of the book. I felt that the language really felt like it was coming from a kid and I thought that was a nice touch to the story. An example of this was how the author used the term, "smarty pant," which is a phrase that many kids use. Overall, I believe that the message of this book was to encourage readers to be independent.
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LibraryThing member kharri34
There are many reasons why I liked this book. For one, I liked the setting of the story because it enhanced its message. The setting was in a magical kingdom in which fairytale creatures such as dragons lived in. This enhanced the story’s message because it was interesting and funny to see the
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possible suitors for the princess struggling in her magical kingdom. For example, Princess Smartypants’ last suitor is turned into a warty toad when he kisses him. In addition, I enjoyed the character development of the main character, Princess Smartypants because she had a strong sense of independence and was not afraid to voice it. For instance, when each of the suitors comes along, she finds a task that they cannot handle so that she is able to remain independent and husbandless. The main idea of this book is that it is okay to be independent.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
The illustrations are cute and the story is too but I don't like the ending. Princess Smarty-Pants is only a child. Of course she isn't ready to get married. But who knows if she may change her mind in 10 years or so? How long exactly is "ever-after"? Or if a prince isn't to her liking, maybe a
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princess? I realize this is a childrens' book but I don't like the absoluteness of the solution.
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LibraryThing member edefra1
Princess Smarty Pants was a humorous story that had me engaged for the whole book. This book created the message that one should not listen to stereotypes, and everyone is different in their own way. The elements that I liked about this book was the characters and the pictures. The characters were
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all different and each had their own personality. For example, the princess' parents wanted their daughter to get married as soon as possible. However, the princess wanted nothing to do with a boy,she wanted to be independent. The illustrations added to the humor of the book because they had inanimate objects have faces. For example, the trees had yellow eyes when various princes were coming to "rescue" the princess.
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LibraryThing member carolinetownsend
I liked this book a lot because it is not a typical fairytale. The main character is a strong, independent heroine that does not need to be rescued. I believe that this character is extremely well developed throughout the story as she challenges the princes to different impossible tasks. The plot
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line of the story was very silly which kept the story entertaining as the princes failed at each of the ridiculous requests from the princess. I believe that the main idea of this story was to tell readers that they do not need to be rescued and that it is good to be independent.
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LibraryThing member Khammersla
Princess Smartypants was a good book but it wasn’t necessarily one of my favorites. The main concept was about a young princess who didn’t want to get married so she tries to trick all these princes into doing tasks she knows they will never complete. While this wasn’t one of my favorite
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stories, it doesn’t means that there weren’t parts of the book that I enjoyed.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was the concept that women don’t have to get married. I think that as times change this is becoming more and more accepted, but still reading this to young children it shows the girls in the class that they are able to pick their own path and if the want to grow up and not get married then they don’t have to.
Another thing I liked about the book were the illustrations. The book was very whimsical and fun. For example at one point one of the princes completes all of the tasks, so the princess kisses him and turns him into a toad. Things like this went on all throughout the book. The illustrations fit perfectly with this. They were all very bright and colorful. They were also very whimsical which really enhanced the text and gave the reader a good light feeling when they were reading the story.
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LibraryThing member KellieMcFadzen
I liked this book, “Princess Smartypants” for a few reasons. The first reason was because I found it very funny which kept me engaged in the story. I thought the characters that were chosen for this book were funny as well. For example, “She asked Prince Compost to stop the slugs from eating
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her garden”. Along with the characters being funny, their names also related to the task the Princess asked them to complete. For example, Prince Compost was asked to stop the slugs in the garden, and compost and garden are related in the sense that you use compost to fertilize your garden. Another reason why I liked this book was for the message. The message of this book was strong female roles, and that females don’t always have to get married. For example, at the end of the book, when the Princess went through all of the Princes her parents asked her to date, she chose to stay single and not get married. This is a sign of a strong female that is not following the typical gender roles of society.
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LibraryThing member ajohns75
I liked this book for a number of reasons. I found Princess Smartypants to serve as a great example of teaching children that happiness does not depend on another person, but rather on how you feel about yourself. Princess Smartypants, an independent young girl, was constantly asked by suitors to
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take their hand in marriage. Before saying yes to any of the men, Princess Smartypants tested each suitor to see who could keep up with her creative lifestyle. The storyline is engaging and leaves students guessing what will happen next, and the large illustrations with each turn of the page enhances the story that much more. By the end of the story, Princess Smartypants had turned the last suitor into a big, ugly toad and lived happily ever after without ever marrying. The author clearly stresses the importance to never settle when it comes to love in a fun, carefree manner.
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LibraryThing member mzellh1
I liked this book for three reasons. The first reason is that the main character, Princess Smartypants, is a good, modern role model for young girls.The illustrations are silly and cute. I enjoyed finding a dragon in just about every scene, although, dragons are not part of the story's plot. Also,
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the language of the story is clear and descriptive. Although the story contains mythological creatures and events that couldn't really happen, it has a real message. Princess Smartypants is receiving pressure to get married, but doesn't succumb to that pressure. She shows children that its okay to be independent.
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LibraryThing member agaski3
I liked this book because the author highlights princesses in a new and modern light; this books shows girls that they have more to aspire to than getting married and it won't make them any less of a princess.
The plot of the book was creative and interesting. Although there was an organized
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pattern of events, from the start, the book was unpredictable. The author did a great job of building suspense. There was a few page separation between the prince completing the obstacles and being turned into a toad. In these pages, the reader does not know what is about to happen or where the story is going to turn. This would be a great spot for a teacher to pause and ask for predictions.
The main character of the book is a stubborn, modern princess. She is a powerful and complex character because, even though the story is told through third person, a lot is revealed about her through the narrative. She is not what society typically pictures a princess looking like, yet her confidence is evident through all of her actions (for example: she set up an impossible obstacle course because she knows she's only worthy of a man who can do the impossible). It is clear that the character is funny, witty, and independent; these are great traits to portray to a young audience.
The message of this book is that society does not have to dictate your actions; you only need yourself and your confidence.
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LibraryThing member mbolle1
I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons. First, this is not a book about your typical princess getting married and living happily every after with her prince charming. Instead, Princess Smartypants lives happily ever after in the way that she had planned, independently. I really enjoyed the
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plot of the story because it was very well developed but it definitely keeps readers on their toes as there are many surprises and you do not know what will happen next. The main character of the story is believable and well-developed. The illustrations help to support the plot and humor that the author has added to the story. The message of the story is to be an individual and not to be dependent on others.
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Publication

New York : G.P. Putnam, 1991, c1986.

Language

Physical description

24 cm

ISBN

0399217797 / 9780399217791
Page: 0.1704 seconds