Nonfiction Review 2- P is for Princess: a Royal Alphabet by Steven L. and Deborah Dover Lanye

  
1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY
Layne, Steven L. and Deborah Dover Lanye. 2007. P Is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet. Ill. Robert and Lisa Papp. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press
Age Range: 5-12  Lexile: 975


2. Summary

A Royal alphabet-what fun!
There's lots to learn before you're done
Some tales are true, some make-believe
We'll tell you some before you leave

From  P Is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet by Steven L. Layne and Deborah Dover Layne

In this A to Z book from Sleeping Bear Press, young children will learn about the world of kings and queens, from fairy tale princesses like Cinderella and Snow White to real life royals like Queen Victoria and Princess Diana. 

3. My Review

I love the Sleeping Bear Press alphabet books and have use some for programs. Besides beautiful artwork that can be enjoyed by younger readers, they provide lots of facts for older readers to enjoy.

What's great about P is for Princess is that it features all sides of royalty, queens and kings, some real, some make believe, and everything in between.  For example, for the letter B, we l learn about formal dance balls ( plus also learn that the word originate from Latin, ballare,  which means to dance, and what the phrase "belle of the ball means.) For letter D, we learn about the life and times of Princess Diana. For letter O, we learn about the royal orb and crown jewels. All twenty-six topics featured include a poem and artwork either by Robert Papp or his wife Lisa ( I'm including some of my favorites in this review. For more, click on the illustartor's name, and you'll be directed to their webpage related to this book.)

D is for Diana, as illustrated by Robert Papp for P is for Princess

O is for Orb, as illustrated by Robert Papp for P is for Princess

 Overall, this is a very good book. I would probably use it for a programs on royalty or fairy tales. I would recommend it for ages 5-12, probably more for girls even though a few male rulers like King Arthur and the Duke of York, as well as the the word "monarch" and "czar" are featured.




4. Classroom Connections

• Make a new royal alphabet. Assign each student a letter and have them research a subject or person of royalty. For example, "W" could be for Prince William, "K" could be for Kate Middleton.  Students could also add a poem and draw or use pictures from the Internet  for their report.
• Plan a King/ Queen day and make crowns, castles, or coat of arms.
• Look at fairy tales from around the world and compare and contrast the differences.
• Ask students what they would do if they were a royal for the day.
• With younger kids, watch fairy tale movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. With older kids, consider The Young Victoria or The Queen. Two new films are coming  out later this fall  to theaters, Diana and Grace of Monaco. 

 5. Book ideas and ( keyword tips)

For more books on royals ( kings, queens, castles, etc), here are some recommended titles:

•   Aliki. A Medieval Feast. New York : Crowell, c1983. 
• Boyer, Cripsin. Everything Castles. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2011.
•  Gravett, Christopher. Knight. New York : Dk Pub., 2007.
• Melzler, Milton. Ten Kings: and the Worlds They Ruled. New York : Orchard Books, 2002.
• Osborne, Will. Knights and Castles: a nonfiction companion to The Knight at Dawn. New York : Random House, c2000.
  

For historical fiction, The Royal Diaires  series is  a great read to check out. Similar to Dear America, they are fictional diaries of real life royals. Some titles include:

• Meyer, Caroyln. Isabel: Jewel of Castilla. New York : Scholastic, 2000
• Kirwin, Anna. Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia.  New York : Scholastic, 2001.

Looking for more ideas? Here are some keywords to try in your library catalog:

• Kings and Rulers-Juvenile Literature
• Castles-Juvenile literature
• Knights-Juvenile literature
• Princesses-Juvenile literature