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Princess Briana

by Yaba Baker, Javier/C. Gonzalez 3rd (Illustrator)

4.00 · rating details · 1 rating · 1 review

Princess Briana is a wonderful story for children which teaches that beauty comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Princess Briana is a beautiful, African princess who has the opportunity to attend the School of Elite's summer camp in Spain. She has never been to Spain and is very excited about the people she will meet and the things she will learn. Upon arriving, she sa...more

Paperback, 44 pages

Published November 1st 2005 by Just Like Me (first published November 20th 2004)

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Aug 17, 2010

Eva rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: julias-books

I was really looking forward to reading this book as soon as I saw it at the library. This fairytale starts out with a King and Queen and Princess living in a lovely kingdom where everyone is taken care of. The Princess was invited to Elite, which is a school in Spain that only the most beautiful and intelligent princesses are invited to.
When Briana arrived at Elite she sees row after row of portraits of the previous princess pageant winners. None are black. Briana feels that she doesn't ...moreI was really looking forward to reading this book as soon as I saw it at the library. This fairytale starts out with a King and Queen and Princess living in a lovely kingdom where everyone is taken care of. The Princess was invited to Elite, which is a school in Spain that only the most beautiful and intelligent princesses are invited to.
When Briana arrived at Elite she sees row after row of portraits of the previous princess pageant winners. None are black. Briana feels that she doesn't belong right away but resolves to do her best. Great lesson right? Right. She looked at the other princesses currently at Elite and found no one that looked like her again. As time went on Briana made friends even though one can tell by the illustrations that she's not totally comfortable at the school still.
Finally the time comes for the top pageant winner of all time, Queen Hatcher's class 'Beauty Instruction for the Elite Princess. Queen Hatcher is a stuffy old clod whose "perfect" idea of "beauty", as shown in a poster hanging in the class, is a size 2, blonde, blue eyed white princess. When Briana goes to the Queen after the class and is told that if she isn't the proper Elite material that isn't the Queen's fault.
Briana is very obviously hurt and after running out of the classroom she decides to take matters into her own hands. She feels so ugly inside and like such an outsider that she gives herself a "makeover". The only problem? Her so called makeover makes her look awful. Briana tried her hardest to lighten her skin, cuts her "kinky" hair, etc.
After figuring this has to be better than her "ugly" black skin, she goes into the courtyard with the other princesses amid laughter and chuckles. Again she runs away yet this time Briana runs smack into a stunning Queen she hasn't seen before. A Queen with skin, hair and eyes just like her own.
The Queen tells Briana that no one laughed at her because of her black skin, like she initially thought, but because she was trying to be something she was not.
A GREAT message is on the next few pages that no one can tell another what "perfect" beauty is. Only Briana can judge Briana.
Briana reemerges looking like her old self, just as stunning as the Queen who just helped her.
Finally the pageant itself comes and Briana goes in front of a panel of previous winners, including the nasty, "beautiful" Hatcher. She's laughed at by the judges and is told no one will sponser her for the pageant. This doesn't make sense because didn't the judges themselves invite Briana in the first place? But I get the point so I'll look past that. Queen Zorra steps in and sponsors Briana and Briana ends up not only winning the competition but getting a score of a perfect 100, over Hatcher's top score of 97.
Hatcher ends up getting booted out of Elite which also portrays a good lesson that no good will come to someone like her.
I would have liked a few minor changes but as they're very minor I won't even mention them. I think this is a good book for not only children that "look like" Briana, but any child. I think this story opened up a door for Julia and she saw a little of what it would feel like if she were different than everyone else. So much so that she felt ugly and like an outsider. I think kids need this sort of thing personally. (less)

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Dec 03, 2011

Briana marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 13, 2011

Malcaj marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: asha

Jun 14, 2011

Empyrean Opulent marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 07, 2009

Janell's Kids marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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