Would You Rather Be a Princess or a Dragon?

by Barney Saltzberg

Some little ones want to be princesses; others want to be dragons. The message of this book is that you can actually be both!

There are lots of things you can a little wild, a little sweet. A little polite, a little troublesome. A little dainty, a little dragony.

There's nothing stopping you from being just what you want to be . . . so which would you rather a princess or a dragon? Here's just the book to help you sort through that difficult question. You might be surprised at what you decide by its end.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Childrens, Princesses, Storytime, Fantasy, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

Barney Saltzberg is the author and illustrator of close to 50 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, Good Egg, Cornelius P. Mud , Crazy Hair Day and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series with over 800,000 copies in print. He has two new releases, Tea With Grandpa and Chengdu Could Not Would Not Fall Asleep coming this spring.
Additionally, he’s recorded four CDs of music for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs.

Reviews

[Kerri]

It was okay, and I liked the twist at the end, but I was hoping the princess would be a little more feisty. There was too much explanation of the things princesses and dragons are "supposed" to do before it got to the message that really, either one can do whatever they want. I was looking forward to this book based on the title, but it let me down a little. There are definitely better books out there about being yourself and doing what you want, regardless of expected roles.

[Kate]

This book was adorable. Princesses and dragons behave in very different ways but that doesn't mean there's a little bit of both in all of us or that you have to be simply one or the other.

[Shiloh Schneider]

This book is a MUST read for anyone who wants to break free from labels and be your wonderful self!
A book that you start reading thinking to yourself "What do I want to be?" ends on a note that helps you find
you can be more than JUST a princess or JUST a dragon.
Also, love the important message of breaking down gender stereotypes and encouraging readers to explore the wide range of books that
should not be labeled as a girl book or a boy book. This book ignites readers to explore books for the love of reading and to maybe pick up a book you in the past deemed as not catered to your child. A good story is a good story :)

[Paula]

A small toad-like frog creature contemplates whether it would like to be a princess or a dragon. The book plays off the stereotypes of princesses and dragons, but takes a fun, unexpected turn at the end. Saltzberg's mixed media illustrations are humorous and delightful. His text has an easy rhyming cadence and concludes with a fun play on words. This would make for a fun read aloud and maybe even a discussion about stereotypes.

[Elizabeth]

Would You Rather Be A Princess Or A Dragon? caught my eye with its title and its cute cover. Unfortunately, this one turned out to be not quite what I'd hoped.

The book spends nearly all of its pages describing stereo-typically feminine stuff required to be a princess, and although it tried to redeem itself at the end by saying that princesses can get a little dirty, the damage has already been done. The message seems to be that in order to be a "princess" you need to be girly but not too girly. I can find enough of that toxic nonsense elsewhere. The rhyming is pleasant, and the illustrations are cute and reminded me of the styles popular in older picture books.

Ultimately I'm not sure I would recommend this. If you're down for rhyming and cute pictures, then by all means, but you can find more empowering stories about princesses and dragons from decades ago than in this one (such as The Paper Bag Princess).

[Sandra]

In this delightfully funny book the reader is asked to decide which they'd rather be like, the well poised and behaved princess or the dirty dragon with no manners. But just when you start to feel a little anxious about limiting your little one, the author turns around and shows that sometimes you can have the best of both worlds. A great story book time addition.

[Daphne]

Love it! The rhythm is super-catchy, and the details fit the topic with cleverness and wit.

[Amanda]

Meh...this book would totally make me want to be a dragon, that's for sure.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Saltzberg, Barney Would You Rather be a Princess or a Dragon? PICTURE BOOK Roaring Brook Press, 2016. $16.99 Content: G.

The reader is shown the difference between being a princess or being a dragon. If you are a princess you wear pink and walk straight. If you are a dragon you are green and act wild. Some days though, a princess wants to be wild too and dragons have a little princess inside them as well.

The illustrations are very simple and have clean lines. The story is cute and has a funny ending when the dragon pretends to eat the princess. I like that the princess can be more than just pink and royal, but she can try new things.

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Rose Rosetree]

Here's a picture book with a great message, and not just a great message for kids.

Some little ones want to be princesses; others want to be dragons. The message of this book is that you can actually be a bit of both!

And then there's the larger message: Many a false choice may tempt you, but get wise to fake alternatives. Sometimes you do better with a bit of this and a bit of that.

There is only so much pink that even princesses can take.

FIVE STARS, sent with respect and relief.

[Allison]

Oh man, 5 stars for the end alone. Totally took me by surprise! I started this book dubiously, because I don't like when books lecture on all the things that are better to be than a princess. Some kids dig princesses, let them do their thing! So I appreciated the equal stance of both dragons and princesses have fun and are awesome -- and then the twist came and it was perfect. I want to read this to a kid immediately.

[Marcie]

This book poses the question (presumably to girls), would you rather be a princess or a dragon? After comparing and illustrating a few clichés about the behavior of each, it turns out that you can be both! Readers will get a message about individuality and just being who you want to be. The lyrical writing lends to a great read-aloud, and the illustrations are fun to figure out what material they are made of. Don’t forget to look for the little frog on each page, too!

[Eme87]

The multi-media illustrations in this book about differences are engaging. Trying to decide to be a princess or a dragon could be difficult, but by talking about the differences of each, you can see a bit more that maybe one or the other is not the way to go. Maybe a little of both could be a good thing.

[Diamond Mckay]

This is a playful and imaginative picture book that invites readers to think creatively about identity and choice. Instead of giving a simple answer, it explores the fun differences between being a traditional princess and a powerful dragon, encouraging kids to consider personality, freedom, and strength in new ways.

[Jenny]

I am quite pleased this book exists, though I do have a quibble that it re-enforces the dragon/princess binary while acknowledging the right of princesses and dragons to temporarily adopt and inhabit the identity sphere of the other.

[Lynn Davidson]

This is a nicely told story to help a child decide if she would rather be a princess with polite ways or a dragon with wild ways. Or maybe a little of both. Very cute, with a funny ending. Great illustrations.

[Miss Sarah]

This book was aweseome. Simple enough for a toddler it posses questions to the reader about wether he or she wants to be a princess or a dragon. The reader is shown amny things that a princess or a dragon does but it's the ending that makes the book a keeper

[Jo Oehrlein]

Many people are offended by the overly strict description of what a princess is like. I was more offended for the dragon. :-p

The moral is that we're all some mixture of what is described as these two opposites and you can choose what you'd like.

[Brooklyn Hinrichs]

I think this book would be great to have in a classroom because students will often categorize themselves and others based on simple things. When in reality we all are a lot more complex than that and this book shows that in a simple and fun lesson.

[Jennifer]

A bit stereotypical, but entertaining nonetheless.

[Amy]

Not sure the bigger picture "people are more complex than types" was drawn out enough, but I did like the rhyme!

[Alice]

The story is the dreaded okay, but the pictures are great! They make the book! I love all the texture of the pictures!

[Karen]

A little stereotypical but I'm sure all my princess loving students will enjoy it.

[Radha TheLibrarian]

I have one daughter who is a real princess (most of the time) and the other who is a real dragon (most of the time) and this one resonated with them both.

[Leslie]

The twist ending was great

[Annie]

I was worried this would all be pink princesses and misbehaving dragons... but it's not. Very cute

[Elizabeth S]

In today's world, these choices are so hard to make.

[Olivia S]

Meh. Not worth bothering with.

[Mely]

Hahaha... I thought this book described my daughter to a tee... but she begged to differ. She didn't like being compared to a dragon one bit. A fun, quirky book... but not much to it.

[Kelly]

Some little ones want to be princesses, while others want to be dragons. The book points out benefits of both.