I’m Going To Be a Princess
Stephanie Taylor and Jade Orlando
Nosy Crow

Maya and her Mum are walking home from school one day, the former clutching a drawing she’d done in class of a princess. “because I’m going to be a princess when I grow up1”, she announces.
Mum agrees that it’s a fun idea but encourages her daughter to think about other possibilities. She goes on to share information about some amazing Black women through history: a doctor perhaps like Alexa Canady, 

or an award-winning ballet dancer like Misty Copeland? Other suggestions are an athlete like Alice Coachman, 

a rocket scientist, like Annie Easley, and several others. Maya agrees that they all sound brilliant but remains firm that she is going to be a princess. 

However the girl has a surprise up her sleeve: her princess role model isn’t the usual fairy tale kind; instead she wants to be just like Princess Amina, a warrior princess who, five centuries ago, ruled the Zazzau Kingdom in West Africa, a fearless leader, totally devoted to her people for whom she worked tirelessly.

I love the clever flip of the narrative and the trashing of the prevailing princess stereotype. Stephanie Taylor uses a chatty style for her telling which works well and in tandem with Jade Orlando’s lively illustrations, make for an informative, empowering book that deserves to be in all KS1 classrooms.