Your browser is not supported. For the best experience, you should upgrade to a modern browser with improved speed and security.

The Invisible Princess

A stunning and original African American fairy tale set during slavery, from Caldecott Honor artist Faith Ringgold.

When Mama and Papa Love realize they are to have a child, they're astonished to learn she will be a princess who will one day bring freedom to her parents and all the slaves on the plantation. They pray she'll be kept safe from Captain Pepper, the cruel plantation owner. And indeed, at the moment of her birth, a miracle does occur: the Powers of Nature make her invisible, and the Prince of Night whisks her from her mother's arms to safety.

Years later it is Patience, Captain Pepper's blind daughter, who discovers the Invisible Princess. Together, Patience, Mama and Papa Love, and the Powers of Nature help the Invisible Princess realize her destiny of peace, freedom, and love.

Availability:

Out of Stock

Where to Purchase:

What's this?

Support A Mighty Girl & Help Grow Mighty Girls!

It's easy to support A Mighty Girl's girl empowerment mission. Every time you purchase resources using the vendor buttons on our website, A Mighty Girl receives a small commission – all at no added cost to you. Thank you for helping us to provide these resources for everyone raising Mighty Girls!

Description

Amazon.com Review

A couple who longs for a child; a mysterious "long ago" world of dangerous, unthinkable oppression and resuscitating natural forces; the emergence of a beatific girl child who must be spirited away before the evil antagonist can get her--all of these traditional fairytale plot elements are reinvented with distinction and life in Faith Ringgold's brand new African American "legend" The Invisible Princess.

Most important, the title character in this conflict between a community of slaves and their evil plantation owner is instantly magical, and unforgettable. Born on a thunderous, stormy night, bearing saucer-shaped eyes and a burst of cornrows that extend from her head like sun rays, the enchanted Invisible Princess is so magnificently conceived that it makes the ensuing drama--which becomes almost biblical in its proportions--both gripping and conceptually possible.

Children will instantly agree that the Invisible Princess is a very special young girl, and will care about and identify with her. For that reason they're likely to need significant hand-holding during two sharp turns in the tale: first, when the hero must endure separation from her parents in order to stay protected from the evil Captain Pepper; and second, when Pepper threatens to separate the princess's parents forever. Still, Ringgold's fantastic landscapes stay warm throughout, conveying the stupendous, hard-won resolve and embrace that occurs at story's end. --Jean Lenihan

Product Details

Recommended Age 5 - 8
Author Faith Ringgold
ISBN 0517800241
Publication Date Dec 22, 1998
Publisher Knopf Books for Young Readers
Language English