Princesses Wear Pants

July 3, 2017
The answer is, of course, yes: that girls can wear pants as much as they like isn’t news. Nonetheless, debut authors Guthrie, a Today Show host, and Oppenheim, a parent educator, introduce princess Penelope Pineapple, who believes, “Crowns and gowns have their place, no doubt./ But that’s not all this girl was about.” In addition to a closet full of dresses, Penny has an armoire stocked with pants for every occasion, whether farming, hosting a science fair, or hanging out. During the Pineapple Ball, Penny’s decision to wear swim trunks under her dress pays off when she saves the royal cat from drowning. Debut illustrator Byrne’s images—awash in pink, and rendered in elegant, loopy lines—exude an unapologetic fashionista sensibility that should find fans. But the perspective that motivates the story seems unnecessarily narrow (Penny is being true to herself, yes, but one can also make an impact on the world while wearing a dress), and the lumbering verse (“As the crowds climbed down the palace staircase,/ None could imagine what would soon take place”) doesn’t help. Ages 3–7. Authors’ agency: Creative Artists Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group.