Book Fair this evening! Yay!
BTW, for parents of girls afflicted with Fairy Princess Fetish Syndrome, I highly recommend Ian Falconer's "Olivia and the Fairy Princesses", in which Olivia complains that all her classmates only want to be princesses, fairies or ballerinas. Good lines: Olivia's mother: "You wanted to be a ballerina too." Olivia: "That was when I was little. *switch to page of Olivia trying various poses with black drapery* Now, I'm trying for a more stark, modern style." and "You know what they all wanted to be for Halloween?" "Princesses." "Princesses. *page turns* I went as a warthog. It was very effective." (princesses cowering in the corner) And then there's the bit where she complains that they all want to be only _fairy_ princesses - why not Indian princesses, Chinese princesses, African princesses? (poses in gorgeous costumes from each country...). It's a wonderful, wonderful antidote. I love Ian Falconer So Much. Especially after getting 10,000 requests for "Barbie: The Princess and the Popstar" from little girls.
There's also _Me: Jane_, which involves a little blond-haired girl growing up, observing chickens, dreaming about a future going to Africa to study animals..."and then, one day, she woke up...to a dream come true" *illustrations change from cartoon-little-girl to photograph of grown-up Jane Goodall touching hand of baby chimp* It's a lovely little book, too. And Jane Goodall is on my list of Most Admired People of All Time, so. (Also Jane Goodale, but as far as I know, there aren't any children's books about her. Sadly.)
