Genre: Graphic Novel
Author: Rod Espinosa
Illustrator: Rod Espinosa
Publisher: Dark Horse
Publication
Date: May 22, 2007
ISBN: 159307719X
Awards: Nomination
for “Promising new talent” and “Best artist” for the 2000 Ignatz Awards
2002
Eisner Award nomination for “Best Title for Younger Readers”
Plot: An unusual unlovely Princess
finds herself captured by an evil dragon.
With nary a fairy godmother or prince charming in sight, Mabelrose
manages to extricate herself and undertake an epic journey home.
Audience: Ages 4 and up
Uses: This book would be good for reluctant readers as
artwork dominates what looks on the surface like a long read. It is a more
complicated princess story for those girls still thinking about prince
charming. The book's beautiful artwork can stand alone so this book can be a picture book
for younger non-readers.
Cover: The cover is very reminiscent of
a fairy tale but the Princess seated upon a large boar hints at a plot twist.
Panel
Structure or Format: The panels
follow no structure; they are randomly spaced and placed. Occasionally there is an unframed picture or
a full page bleed. The pages are very busy and some text balloons escape the
boundaries of their gutters.
Images or
Illustrations: The face structure portrays
emotions well and the color palate changes from light to dark to match the mood
of the scene. The artwork is very detailed
and plentiful, so it’s hard to take it all in.
Content and
Words: The text is
presented in very small print, which makes it difficult to read at times. The words contain no lower case letters and
can get lost in the illustrations.
Text and Art
Together: The text and
the art are disjointed. The illustrations
are meticulous while the words and sentence structure are simplistic.
Age
Appropriateness: The story,
if one can follow the disorganized text, is a simple one at heart so young
readers would be able to read the story.
As a picture book it is a lovely piece of art.
Strengths: The artwork is fantastic. The idea that the Princess saves herself is a
very refreshing storyline. The book offers multiple references to other fairy
tales, such as Mablerose’s mother being a descendant of Snow White while her
father traces his line back to Aladdin.
Weaknesses: The book covers the importance of
prayer very often, could be off putting to readers of other faiths. The storyline reaches a climax but does not
offer a good resolution at the end as if the author is expecting his readers to
move immediately on to the other books in the series.
Read Alikes: The
Courageous Princess- The Quest to Home (2001) and The Courageous Princess-
The Kingdom of Leptia (2002) by Rod Espinosa; There's a Princess in the Palace (2010) by Zoe Allen
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