The first adventures of Princess Peony by Nette Hilton
Ill. by Lucinda Gifford. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781760650445.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Castles, Play, Princesses and
Princes, Imagination, Getting along. Peony (a princess) lives in a
castle with a courtyard guarded by her dragon (Totts, her dog). Her
brother, Prince Morgan, is a troll, who likes to undermine her games
in the garden, and declares that they must build a trap for the
bears. Princess Peony who likes to be obeyed, does not like the idea
of bears coming into the garden. She helps him build the trap but
becomes trapped herself. The troll refuses to set her free, only
agreeing when she promises him her dragon. But first he must take
the dog four times around the courtyard, something he seems eager to
do, but the dog is so fast he calls a halt. Exhausted, he agrees to
let the princess out of the trap, and together they make traps to
catch any bears that may wander from the nearby zoo.
This delightful story about siblings getting along, although with a
few hiccups along the way, will entrance younger readers marvelling
at their imaginative use of the garden and its surrounds to build a
fantasy world. Peony and her brother, Morgan, are single minded
about what they want but eventually come together to create a world
that suits both of them. Hilton's writing is always subtle and
understated, ensuring the readers use their own imaginations to
explore what they might do in a similar situation.
The clear uncluttered prose set against white space is easy to read,
and words highlighted in childish handwriting will ensure these are
taken note of and practised. The reduced colour range used for the
illustrations makes for an uncluttered look to each page, and the
readers will laugh as they notice the difference between the text
and the images, underlining the rich imaginative world of the
children, and reinforcing their ability to use things in the garden
to create their world. A delightful tale set outside, encouraging
readers to look past their screens.
Fran Knight