PRINCESS FIDGETY FEET

The princess who yearns to get in touch with her inner ordinary kid isn't a new idea, but this British import adds a few twists to keep it fresh. Princess Bridget loves soccer: she watches other children on the playing field through the castle tower telescope and steals away to the tower room to run secret drills with the castle paperboy. Her nonstop feet earn her the nickname of the title. Unbeknownst to Bridget, her father spies on her soccer drills and wants his daughter to achieve her personal best. He brings in the imperious Miss Posy, ostensibly to give Bridget prim princess training and keep her feet still. But the king reveals, in the final pages, Miss Posy's other life as coach of the top soccer team; her admonitions to sit still, stand up straight and practice balance give Bridget the discipline and control every great player needs. Working mostly in spot illustrations, Norman's pencil outlines with watercolor wash gamely follow the princess's pursuits and nicely break up the rather dense text (in type that can be difficult to decipher). He portrays Bridget as a kind of dress-up princess—she wears normal kid clothes except for a tiara and an ermine-edged robe. But overall the rather mild-mannered mood of the illustrations opt for geniality rather than the goal-happy heroine's effervescence. Ages 3-8. (Mar.)