My daughter enjoys this book and thinks it’s very funny. She enjoys pretending to be a princess herself, so I like the fact that it gives a more balan... Not only is it funny and cute, it teaches children that no matter what, they don't have to compromise their boundaries and they don't have to conform to society's expectations." (From a 5-star review)

Truly comical watercolors in softly glowing colors complement this fairy tale parody perfectly….A refreshing alternative.” Reversals] create empathy and are great detectors of bias, in ourselves as well as in others, for they expose injustices that seem normal and so are invisible. In fact, the deeper and less visible the bias, the more helpful it is to take some commonly accepted notion about one race, class, ethnicity, ability — whatever — and see how it sounds when transferred to another. […] To uncover the difference between what is and what could be, we may need the “Aha!” that comes from exchanging subject for object, the flash of recognition that starts with the smile, the moment of changed viewpoint that turns the world upside down. I LOVE this book! What other book for kids says that girls don't have to get married and can have a complete and happy life without Prince Charming? Blah blah alternative princess cliche of forgoing marriage as girl empowerment; I think girls who wanna get married will be fine unless this is the only piece of media they ever consume

Transcript

Princess Smartypants” is probably one of Babette Cole’s greatest books ever created. This book is a creative story about a princess who just wanted to do the activities that she enjoys doing despite what her parents say. Also, Princess Smartypants is one of the few heroines who have lots of spunk and independence deep within themselves. “Princess Smartypants” is a perfect book for both kids and adults who enjoy messages about independence and confidence. great sense of humor and a beautiful message about being yourself and standing up for what you believe is right." (From a 5-star revew) Gloria Steinem wrote in her 1994 book Moving Beyond Words that she has ‘gained a lot of faith in reversals’ as a way of highlighting structural inequalities and prejudices: Lesson 4 - Use vocabulary built over the week to write a character description, focusing on choosing interesting adjectives to create expanded noun phrases. Princess Smartypants does not want to get married because she likes being a Ms. She wants to live her own life. Her parents want her to get married. She outwits her suitors and lives happily ever after because she doesn't get married.

This [narrative] isn’t just saying that women don’t have to marry, it’s saying that women can humiliate men, force them to work, then don’t marry them. In fact, Princess Smartypants can only live happily ever after when she has rid herself of essentially all men (who are, needless to say, intimidated by her transfiguring osculations). Just like all women! We females can only be free once men have become the toads they are at heart! Princess Smartypants does not want to get married, but her parents tell her she must find a suitor. She sets out challenges for all the Princes that w...Lesson 1 - Introduce the story. Discuss the title, cover, role of author/illustrator, etc. Make predictions throughout. Sequence the key events of the story as a class and then independently. Resources provided to record this in books. Challenge more able students to label their pictures with key words or sentences. Some of her friends, however, have decided to marry their fairytale princes and Princess Smartypants has agreed to host a party for them. When the princes fail to turn up, the Princess sets off with her best friend, Eric the Anihilator, to find and rescue the missing princes. Four complete English units of work designed for Year 1 but easily adaptable for Reception or Year 2. Includes lesson powerpoints, differentiated resources and planning documents.

It was with Beware of the Vet (1982) that her zany sense of humour and delight in the absurd was first fully unleashed. The account of the mayhem that follows when Mr MacPlaster, the vet, mistakes cow hormones for aspirin and grows horns and a tail was a trailblazer for many of Babette’s subsequent titles. Taking a similar “what if?” premise, The Trouble With Mum (1983) stars a mum who is a witch and focuses on the deep and hilarious embarrassment that this causes at the school gates. It is a simple problem captured brilliantly by Babette in the best tradition of great picture books, by contrasting sparing, deadpan text with frothily inventive illustrations. Lesson 2 - Introduce adjectives. Use ‘role on the wall’ to build vocabulary to describe the main character - focus on appearance. Babette Cole subverts the reader’s expectation that the prince and princess will end up married. These days it doesn’t seem such a radical story at all, but that’s only because we’ve seen it before. Write a set of instructions to teach people how to look after some of Princess Smartypants’ amazing pets. Heroes in stories will set out to accomplish one of the following 10 things. Here, of course, we have a story about number five:

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Lesson 3 - Introduce adjectives. Use ‘role on the wall’ to build vocabulary to describe the main character - focus on personality. I read this book as a child and it really inspired me to be confident and have fun. I absolutely loved it! There are some lessons that you just can’t help repeating year after year; the reaction you receive from each class is so different and interesting that it makes you pull the old favourite out again and again. My must-do lesson focuses on Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole. This hilarious picture book with its wonderfully subversive protagonist sends a strong message to young readers about the importance being in control of one’s own destiny. Vibrant watercolour illustrations are full of energy and contain a wealth of witty detail which children will adore.

Princess Smartypants is rebellious, independent, and very happy being single - but her parents want her to get married and settle down! This hilarious picture book has a subversive protagonist and a strong message about choosing your own destiny. Steinem then goes on to make a great job of turning Sigmund Freud into Phyllis Freud, with all of the misogynistic and historically dangerous ideas reversed, in a world where women hold the power instead of men; where the uterus is revered rather than the phallus. STORY STRUCTURE OF PRINCESS SMARTYPANTS Types of Archetypal Journeys I am a Ms. I am not a Mrs, and I like the idea of a story about an independent girl who doesn't want to be a Mrs, and is happy to be a Ms. But this story missed the mark. The princess comes across as deceitful, game-playing, dishonest and arrogant: more Princess Pants-on-Fire than Princess Smartypants.

Then we reach the ending of the book, which appeals to my feminist nature and provokes all sorts of discussion about the children’s own families: Princess Smartypants doesn’t get married, but she does live happily ever after in a truly modern fairy tale. Create a timetable showing the different things that Princess Smartypants might do at the start of the story. This book seems to be telling girls that they would be better off without a husband and family. Definitely not the message I want to share with my little girls." (From a 1-star review). From the lowbrow names of "Prince Pelvis, Swimbladder, Boneshaker, Grovel etc. and the overall disrespectful, non-familial attitudes to the man-hating, lying, deal breaking princess this book was feminist rubbish from top to bottom." (From a 1-star review)