The Princess Knight

Funke, Cornelia. The Princess Knight. Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer. Translated by Anthea Bell. Scholastic, 2003. 32 pages. $4.99. ISBN 0439678528.

Summary:

The youngest of three brothers, Princess Violetta is raised in the same manner: she learns jousting, horsemanship, and swordsmanship. Her brothers persistently tease her for being smaller and weaker, but she is determined to learn more on her own and begins to practice at night. Violetta becomes “nimble and quick” and able to best her own brothers! When Violetta’s sixteenth birthday approaches, her father announces a jousting tournament in her honor. Before she can decide on the best armor and horse for the tournament, her father adds that the prize for the winner will be Violetta’s hand in marriage. Violetta is outraged and devises a plan to prove her skills once and for all.

Curriculum Connections:

During a genre study of fairy tales, this story could provoke some conversation about what constitutes a fairy tale. “Can we call this story a fairy tale? If so, what clues do we have that it is?” The setting, plot, and characters, as well as some “fairy tale conventions” are employed to make this a good comparison text.

Personal Reflections:

Meyer’s illustrations are detailed and unique. She uses unusual page layouts, sometimes spreading over two pages in the lower or upper half of the page. She manages to convey action through multiple views of a similar subject, such as when Violetta is trying to mount her horse for the first time.

Awards:

BookList Editors’ Choice Award, Young Readers Category, 2004.

Age/Interest Range:

6-9

Genre/Themes:

Fairy Tales, Nonsexist literature, Humor

Read-Alikes:

Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess is another story that features a strong, nontraditional princess who prevails in the end.