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By Philippe Lechermeier
Illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer
Sterling, 2010
$19.95, ages 4-8, 88 pages
You've always been told not to judge books by their cover, but just this once, feel free to jump to assumptions.
For, what you see on the dust jacket of this book is as lovely as what's to come -- paintings so stunning, you'll wish you could frame them, only you won't because the book's too nice to pull apart.
The cover of this delightful spoof on princesses features an exquisitely painted princess with a heart-shaped cage for a crown and almond-shaped eyes looking askance -- remarkably, without upsetting the poise of her head.
Known as Princess Hot-Head, this self-assured rather smug gal only looks tame, for she's fond of spitting and dueling, and adores steak tartare. She's just one of more than 30 unusual ladies profiled in this amusing coffee table-size book by an imaginative French author named Lechermeier.
The princesses, painted with whimsical, at times dainty, details suggestive of their delicate, unconventional beauty, share the distinction of being obscure (well, until now), for not one of them has made it big in fairytales or in fact, been written up before.
Part of the appeal of Dautremer's portraits is that she draws out the ridiculous in each princess in such a dignified way. Many of the ladies have exaggerated proportions that reflect their odd behaviors yet even when those behaviors aren't flattering or their hygiene is questionable, they still look elegant.
Take the image of the Eco Princess, an exotic gal whose sandy blond hair is spun onto her head like cotton candy and is held up with tree vines and inhabited by birds, who I must share, have the delightful habit of whispering secrets in her ears. She's stunning to behold, but what a tangled mess she wears!
Each of these gals strives so passionately for what they believe in that you can't help but delight in their peculiarities, like Princess Barbara of Babel who's mastered the slang of Texas and Azerbaijan and Princess Quar