Ian S. Rutter, Author, Faeries of Birchover Wood
Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird
5 *’s / 5*’s
What a wonderful story. You don’t get many books that can teach qualities such as respect, friendship and trust. This book does that simply by showing through a lovely story.
The author has a great gift at story telling, without telling you how or what you should do to learn the skills that the story teaches. The main character of the book, Petra, shows you what to do when she is placed in certain situations which require her to use her head and not her makeshift sword.
We can all learn something from this story. If you have children, I encourage you to get a copy of this book and read it to them.
I hope there are many more Petra adventures in the future.
This book is next to my copy of Aesop’s Fables.
Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird
Midwest Book Review (They don’t give star ratings)
“Sir Princess Petra: The Pen Pieyu Adventures” is a maverick fantasy, illustrated chapter book for tweens. Princess Petra of the kingdom of Pen Pieyu requests an unusual birthday present from her parents the king and queen: to become a knight! Although her request alarms her parents, they can find no legal objection, so the king proclaims Princess Petra must choose an act of bravery from the royal list of deeds, in order to become a knight of the kingdom. Her choices are: “to capture a crocodile and make his skin into a royal leather chair, to hush the howling nasty dragon Snarls in the Forest of Doom, or to eat a roomful of raw onions(p.13).”
The princess eliminates both onions and crocodile and decides upon the quest to hush Snarls, the nasty dragon in the Forest of Doom. Armed with pots and pans and cutlery from the pantry, Princess Petra sets off. What will happen on this unpredictable princess/knightly adventure? Packed with plot twists and turns, unexpected obstacles and problems, and brilliant flashes of humor and originality, “Sir Princess Petra” charms and entrances the reader.
Enhanced by frequent expressive black and white drawings, the six chapters of “Sir Princess Petra” move swiftly to a satisfying conclusion. Kids age 10 and up will love the rebel heroine and her dragon rehabilitation skills.”
Diane Mae Robison tells a charming tale of Petra, the young Princess of Pen Pieyu, whose birthday wish is to be dubbed a royal knight of her father’s kingdom. Although Petra takes her father, the king, by surprise with her curious royal birthday wish, Petra proves her bravery through a quest to hush the howling dragon.
Natalie Schembri, The University of Manitoba Book Review 4 *’s/4*’s
Sir Princess Petra is a delightfully imaginative storytime read and re-read. Petra’s character is both confident and charismatic. Her good nature conquers the friendship of Snarles, the dragon, and other characters in the Forest of Doom.
Further, Robinson’s empowering story is accompanied by beautifully shaded pencil drawings that illustrate Petra’s royal quest. Both text and illustration combine to create a vivid story of courage and determination.
I highly recommend Sir Princess Petra for school, public, and personal library collections. Diane Mae Robinson coins a tale that invites readers to accompany Petra on a fearless journey towards friendship and self-discovery.
Mother Daughter Book Reviews – Reviewer: Renee Cormier
5 */5*
Sir Princess Petra is a wonderful read-aloud book with a diverse range of characters and a quirky writing style that kept the children completely engaged from the first page to the last. Diane Mae Robinson has created a charming main character in Petra who rejects the stereotype of what a princess should be in favor of serving her kingdom as a royal knight. Petra is precisely the type of role model I love for girls: she’s spunky, she’s brave, she’s kind, and she’s a problem-solver. ‘Nuff said – SHE ROCKS!
Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird
The supporting cast of characters are also distinctly quirky and uniquely interesting . . . In short, this book had us laughing out loud as we were reading it.
My bottom line: I really feel that this little book is a gem. It is a relatively short book (70-ish pages) that can easily be read aloud to children in one sitting. My kids and I were completely captivated by this fun, adventure-filled tale about a very charming and unorthodox princess. I highly recommend this book to families with children under the age of 10 and as young as 5 who love a good tale filled with fairy-tale characters such as dragons, witches, princesses, and knights.
Visit my author’s website for more information about my dragon books for children: http://www.dragonsbook.com