Princess Kevin

We need more books like this, and Kevin is my hero! I'm going to buy this amazing book for all the children I know. I love the illustrations and the colour palette. And I cannot wait to read Kevin's other adventures.

When you read a book with a huge grin on your face from the first page to the last, you know it is going to be a 5 star read! (I would have given this 10 stars if GoodReads had allowed it.)

Very rarely do I choose a NetGalley book solely on the basis of its cover, and then I hope that the story meets the expectations set by the cover. In this case, I’m happy to report: Yes, it does! What an awesome story this turned out to be! And a story not restricted to any gender. This is a story for every little boy and girl, no matter what their biological gender. As the book rightly says, girls get complete freedom to dress up as whatever character pleases them but boys are stuck with the same old boring costumes, and dare the costume be pink in colour… Oh, the horror! Kevin decides to buck this trend and dress up for the school fancy dress show as what he wants to: a princess in pink.

The book sets all prejudices about costumes right and shows how you need to follow your heart and do whatever makes you happy. What I want to specifically highlight is that the book doesn’t cater to any assumptions. You might assume that Kevin chose the dress because he likes girly things. Or because he loves dresses. Or because he is a girl trapped in a boy’s body. Gender fluidity has become a necessary topic, but because of this, we assume that every boy in a dress is a girl waiting to come out. (Sounds silly, I know. But it is a silly assumption too!) What this book simply says is: here is a boy who chose to dress up as a girl for a fancy dress show. That’s it, simple and sweet. The takeaways depend on you. And that makes this book so flexible in its target audience.

No matter how much I write in this review, it won’t be sufficient to convey to you my utter joy at reading this book. The story, the characters, the narrative flow, the illustrations, all were absolutely perfect.

There is rarely a book for which I can declare: I want to change nothing about it! Go for it without any hesitation.

Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

“When you wear a costume, the whole point is to become someone totally different. Otherwise, it makes no sense dressing up in the first place.” So when there is a fancy dress show at school, Kevin decides to dress up as a princess. The only problem is that none of the boys dressed up as knights want to hold his hand. And then Kevin realises that being a princess in high heels and a long dress is actually quite hard. This is a fun story with a really positive message about not believing in stereotypes and always being yourself accompanied by vibrant and fun illustrations.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the story was brilliant!

I loved that it was all about being who you want to be irrespective of what others think but it did make me smile when smile when it got to the end.

It was well written and had some fantastic illustrations

I read it with my daughter and she loved it!

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!!

Headstrong Princess... Kevin??

This is lovely. Kevin has no qualms about his choice for dressing up day at school - he doesn't want the suggested ones, no. He wants to be a princess, and his mum and sister assist with the heels and jewellery, but he finds his day at school is not as easy as he'd expected.

Kevin shows us the highs and lows of wearing a dress at school - yes, he's being who he is, so he's happy. But he's also a bit tired of the shoes by the end of the day, and some of the other boys won't hold his hand and be the knight to his princess.

The story does show that there can be issues when someone appears different to other people, but Kevin also stays above it, doesn't show weakness or upset, and just gives the impression that he isn't going to change and others are just going to have to accept him.

Kevin also shows kind traits when he says his friend, dressed as a dragon, looks like a sock. Parents and teachers will be able to use his example as a demonstration of tact and kindness to others.

Loved the illustrations, the style of upturned noses, messy hair and expressive faces reflects Kevin really: cheeky and headstrong. The text is fairly sparse but tells the full story of Kevin's day, showing his family support, his feelings and actions, and works as a simple story for younger children or one that can be elaborated for those a little older.

A great text to use for those curious about the issues presented, or to provoke discussion at school or home.

For ages 3-8.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

4☆ An Inspiring and Engaging Children's Picture Book.

Princess Kevin is a fantastic Children’s Book that explores and teaches children that it's ok to be different.

Kevin has a fancy dress day at school, but he's fed up with his usual costumes and decides he wants to go to school as a Princess in a Pink Dress.
After all why can't he be a princess?
Girls wear Cowboy and superhero costumes..don't they?!
So he gets his costume on and heads to school.

But he soon finds out that the other boys don't want to play with him and are unkind, taunting him that boy's don't wear dresses!

Kevin has had enough of being a Princess, he's high heels hurt his feet, he keeps falling over his dress and next year he decides he's dressing up as something completely different.... I'll let you find out for yourselves what it is 🙊

I loved how this book is diverse and shows children that it's ok to be different, be individual and experiment with different Personalities.
It also teaches children that they need to be Kind and respectful to each other.

This book would be perfect in schools and for story time reading.
I think it's a great reas for children aged 4-7years.
Princess Kevin is a Fun, Engaging and Entertaining read, the illustrations are beautifully presented and this really is a special little book.