Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets A Makeover (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
This story begins as a love triangle: girl has dog, girl gets doll, girl ignores dog, and dog reacts. With wonderfully expressive illustrations, Schneider tells a sweet story about a jealous pet with a nice twist. Quite frankly, I felt sorry for the dog and was annoyed that Amelia could so easily ignore her dog; however, the last page relieves all anxiety. Also, young readers will enjoy watching the toy penguin. Our princess-loving readers may be disappointed in the minimum of princess content, but will be tickled pink with the sparkles on the cover!A grrrrrrrreat example of writing that shows rather than tells as we see the growing jealousy of Amelia’s dog.The simple, fun illustrations clearly show the fun being had, and the dog’s expressions of dislike of the doll. The white background keeps the focus on the doll, the girl, and the dog, as well as the dog’s speech across each page, “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…” The way the author portrayed the dog’s curly fur is adorable, giving him/her(?) the appearance of a cocker spaniel. Simple but clever writing gives a couple surprises. My favorite page is where Princess has an ‘accident.’ The text and images match until the last two pages, which are confusing to me. The dog runs away in fear when Amelia shows him/her(?) the made-over doll, but on the last page, (s)he is happily playing with Amelia. Are we to guess that Amelia realizes she should spend more time with her dog?This book could be used as an example of simple but strong prose, and how characters can be portrayed to the reader. And, of course, it’s a great read aloud!
What do You think about Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets A Makeover (2014)?
I don't really know what I was expecting from this book,but it was pretty blah.
—Abby
Not your typical frilly princess book. Love it!
—nasra
enjoyed it more than i thought I would!
—aeriaraiina
