My Little Prince and My Little Princess
Written and Illustrated by Ruth Wielockx
Clavis Toddler    11/15/2016
978-160537-260-0 — 978-160537-261-7
14 pages    Ages 18 months and up

.
MY LITTLE PRINCE
“Who saves people from fires and puts out flames? Who takes care of people who are sick and gives them an injection if he has to? When you grow up, you could become a firefighter or nurse! But now you are still very small, and you are . . . my sweet prince!” [BACK COVER]

MY LITTLE PRINCESS
“Who can dance very gracefully and turn five times on one leg? Who controls the big airplane high up in the sky? When you grow up, you might become a ballerina or a pilot! But now you are still very small, and you are . . . my sweet little princess!” [BACK COVER]

Review
[WC 421]
Now that your little prince or princess is a walking, exploring toddler, they will start noticing and questioning. They will see different people working different jobs, especially if the job requires a uniform. Toddlers beginning an interest in the world around them will enjoy My Little Prince or My Little Princess. You can use each book to familiarize your child with an occupation and their uniform before they actually see these people. (If taking their first plane trip, you can show them the pilot; or the schoolteacher before the first day of kindergarten.)
Soon he or she will let you know they want to be a super hero when they grow up. Neither My Little Prince or My Little Princess includes Superman or Wonder Woman, but both books include some real-life superheroes: firefighter, astronaut, nurse, and policeman for boys; ballerina, teacher, veterinarian, and pilot for girls.

The illustrations look as if they are made of clay or playdough skillfully formed into a young girl (or boy) in the appropriate uniform of one of the occupations. The prince, with dark brown yarn hair looks terrific in each career, but even more adorable as a firefighter or an astronaut. Maybe because the firefighter smiles as he shoots brilliant blue water toward the opposite page and the astronaut, with an equally huge smile, floats in space outside his rocket. The detail is amazing. The images probably took a long time to perfect, which is what they are: perfect.
My Little Princess has equally heroic careers for girls. I love the schoolteacher in her purple ensemble and what looks like a wizard’s wand in her hand. The teacher has a little student on the opposite page, taking notes. The final two spreads complete the selection of occupations, both ending with a queen or a king. The final spread in each book has a parent talking to their smiling toddler, telling him or her they may grow up to be a king/queen, but they are still small and, “my sweet Little Prince/Princess!”

If you are observant as you read, you will notice the abundance of exclamation points. While board books tend to get away with more exclamation points, at least one per spread is a lot!
My Little Prince and My Little Princess are perfect board books for toddlers learning to explore their world and asking questions. Who knows, maybe in 20 years, when toddlers are looking at an occupation, Superman and Wonder Woman will need assistants or training new heroes. Until then, My Little Prince and My Little Princess will please young children.

MY LITTLE PRINCE and MY LITTLE PRINCESS. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Ruth Wielockx. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Clavis Toddler, New York, NY.

My Little Prince:  Amazon—Indie Books—Clavis Toddler
My Little Princess:   Amazon—Indie Books—Clavis Toddler

Add My Little Prince to Your Goodreads Shelf HERE.
Add My Little Princess to Your Goodreads Shelf HERE.

.
Reprinted with permission from MY LITTLE PRINCESS © 2016 by Ruth Wielockx, Clavis Toddler, an imprint of Clavis Publishing. Illustrations © 2016 by Ruth Wielockx.

.
Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

My Little Prince
Written and Illustrated by Ruth Wielockx
Clavis Toddler 11/15/2016
9781605372600

My Little Princess
Written and Illustrated by Ruth Wielockx
Clavis Toddler 11/15/2016
9781605372617