Princesses Are Not Quitters by Kate Lum

Princesses Are Not Quitters by Kate Lum and Illustrated by Sue Hellard.

The story is about three princesses who live in a huge silver palace by the sea but all that they can think about is how boring their lives are. They soon decide that it would be much more interesting to be a servant and they become servants for a day. They are in for quite a surprise when they find out how much work actually goes into a servant’s day. Through it all, they don’t give up because, “princesses are not quitters”. At the end of the day, the three girls make a proclamation that servants should not be overworked and all should have fun.

There are many good messages to be taken from this story. Try to walk in a day in someone else’s shoes. Don’t give up even when something is hard. Stick to something once you start. Take satisfaction in a job well done. All of these are wrapped up in an entertaining and funny tale. When all of their chores are being listed, “SWEEP the floors and WHITEWASH the walls and DUST the ceiling free of webs….” the reader can just imagine all the little details that go into running a palace. Details that the princesses likely didn’t pay attention to before but are now sure to appreciate.

I loved the soft watercolor illustrations. They were comical and filled with lots of little details. Upon closer inspection, each of the illustrations had small jokes, like spider webs in their hairdos. The faces of the characters had great expressions. The story could have been told even without the words.