Princess

The visually arresting elements of this glossy plum keep excellent company with an understated comic text. When her mother attempts to wake her for school, a sleepy child muses about what life might be like if she were a princess. The playfully depicted regal lifestyle includes sleeping until 10 o'clock, eating chocolate for breakfast and wearing a crown, a gown and ``my diamond studded shoes.'' Though the central concept here is not too different from that of I Am Really a Princess (Children's Forecasts, Aug. 9), this is the sort of fantasy that certain would-be royals cannot get enough of. Each of the daydream's episodes is augmented by a full spread of well-designed, highly textured collage in sparkling colors that fairly spin off the page. The girl's pet cat (a resplendent creature made of delicately fringed white paper), and her larger-than-life mother are delightful bit players in this royal romp. The highly saturated colors and heady sense of ``shape play'' create a book of unusual visual intensity. Fit for a princess. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)