cover image Princess Pearl

Princess Pearl

Nicki Weiss. Greenwillow Books, $12.95 (23pp) ISBN 978-0-688-05894-4

After Weekend at Muskrat Lake, Weiss's endearing Pearl and Rosemary are back home, where little sister Pearl begins to rebel against bossy Rosemary. Pearl is always ordered to play the wicked fairy while Rosemary flaunts herself as the noble princess, in their let's pretend dramas. Pearl's mutiny creates squabbles and alienation, particularly when she triumphantly welcomes a substitute playmate, Janie Sachs. Janie, however, is a snob; she belittles Pearl and is even more officious than Rosemary. But Rosemary puts Janie firmly in her place, relegating her to the role of servant and dressing Pearl splendidly as the princess. The delicately tinted tones in Weiss's paintings heighten the comedy, featuring the girls' silly games and Rosemary's antic, fuzzy slippers. (5-8)