The Princess Knight
Cornelia Funke, author of the international best-seller The Thief Lord, makes her brilliant debut as a picture-book writer with this winning tale of a young princess's adventure!
Violet is a young princess who wishes she could show the world that she is just as brave and strong as her brothers. But her strict father insists that she get married, and her brothers only mock her when she wants to be included in their fun.
So Violet decides to use her intelligence and bravery to show everyone--once and for all--what she's made of. Disguising herself as a boy, Violet takes part in a knights' jousting tournament. When she wins the contest, she reveals her true identity--and wins the prize of freedom!
For more stories of independent-minded princesses, visit our Ultimate Guide to the Independent Princess.
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Description
"Eat your heart out, Gloria Steinem: Princess Violetta knows all about equal rights! Funke's princess knight takes no guff from anyone and has the gumption to determine her own destiny. Kerstin Meyer's charming, kid-friendly illustrations convey Violetta's predicament wonderfully, making the book an amusing entertainment as well as a spirited parable about resourcefulness and self-determination. A sure-handed and sweet fairy tale for the modern gal." -- Barnes and Noble Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Cornelia Funke, author of the bestselling Thief Lord, tells a short, sweet story about a brave little princess with a mind of her own. King Wilfred's three sons learn to become big, bad knights the way any boisterous boys would: "They learned riding and jousting, fighting with swords...They learned how to stride proudly and how to shout very loudly." At her father's urging, young Princess Violetta tries to keep up with the same lessons, "even though she was so small she could hardly lift a sword at all!"Despite her brothers' teasing and laughing, Violetta continues to practice--even secretly at night. Soon enough, Violetta becomes "so nimble and quick" that when practicing with her brothers, "their spears and swords just hit the empty air." But then King Wilfred does the unthinkable: For his Violetta's sixteenth birthday, he plans a jousting tournament designed to bring "the bravest knights in the land flocking to the castle" to win her hand in marriage! Violetta is outraged: "You want me to marry some dimwit in a tin suit?" Fortunately, of course, the princess finds a way to come to her own rescue.
Funke does well in this picturebook format, but Kerstin Meyer's delicate and extremely cute illustrations set the quiet, measured (but still fun) tone of the Princess Knight, as she takes inspiration from a bona fide medieval piece of art--the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry. -- Paul Hughes
Product Details
| Recommended Age | 3 - 7 |
|---|---|
| Author | Cornelia Funke |
| Illustrator | Kerstin Meyer |
| ISBN | 0439678528 |
| Publication Date | Mar 1, 2004 |
| Publisher | The Chicken House |
| Language | English |