Princess Briana

By Yaba Baker

Book Overview

Princess Briana is an African princess who has the opportunity to attend the School of Elite's summer camp in Spain. Upon arriving, she sees many other princesses, but none who look like her. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1928889050
• ISBN13: 9781928889052
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Just Like Me
• Length: 66 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 11.4" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A great story for ALL children, especially young girls

This was one of the best new princess stories I have read. I purchased it for my daughter (2) to have in her book collection. I read the story and immediately wanted to purchase books for every little girl that I knew. The story is well written, great moral, and deals with sensitive issues like "what is beauty" in a wonderful way. It takes a sensitative topic and deals with it issue with grace, the way I would hope my daughter could grow to deal with such an issue. There is one drawback, and that is the advertising in the book. I am fine with the mention of a website, but was a little put off by the one page catalog in the back of the book. It wasn't enough to drop the rating, but I will cut that page out before I give the book to my daughter.

Beautiful, Affirming Book

For one-and-a-half years, I've facilitated a book club of African-American girls. We read two picture books by black authors each month. Among our selections have been award-winners and titles that have made recommended reading lists. Never has a book stimulated such discussion as Yaba Baker's Princess Briana. The girls, many of whom attend predominantly white schools, could see themselves in what Princess Briana was going through. They talked about what it felt like to be one of the few girls of color. They cheered at the story's triumphant ending. After discussing the themes, they decorated foam crowns and wrote about the quality they love best about themselves. We celebrated the lesson of the story in a princess parade. The girls strutted their stuff for their moms and then one by one shared their poems. It was beautiful to see them talk about the beauty of their brown skin, richness of their heritage and keenness of their minds. It was one of our best meetings yet. Princess Briana is a special story. In a world that still struggles to embrace diverse standards of beauty, this book is like balm to the soul.

Princess Briana

My daughter is an avid reader and she absolutely loved the book. She is 10 years old and felt that the book spoke directly to her. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is compelling. I would highly recommend this book to all parents of young girls.

Beauty Comes in Many Forms

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 saw many other princesses, but none who looked like her. Though questioning whether or not she belonged at the school, she continued to her classes, excited to meet her instructors. Shortly after, Briana wasn't too sure of herself, her beauty, or if she deserved to be a princess, so she tried to make herself fit in by changing her outside appearance. Though only a quick recap of the problems Princess Briana faced, this book was so much more. It is brillantly written, creatively drawn, and the lush colors of the illustrator's palette bring out the beauty of the story. With the increasing number of television shows, commercials, and magazines teaching "beauty" standards, books of this nature are a gem for the community. PRINCESS BRIANA should be a resource used in homes, schools, libraries, and churches to assist in creating positive self-esteem amongst children, regardless of their ethnicity. It is a positve reinforcement that beauty comes from within and comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Reviewed by Tee C. Royal of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

I love myself!

MY STUDENTS AND I LOVE THIS BOOK! It was wonderfully written with beautifully realistic and detailed illustrations. Finally there is a book that addresses one of the key issues that face adolescents today, which is how they view themselves. Girls of any ethnic background can relate to this book because it points out the need to love yourself for who you are and not who society portrays beauty to be. After reading this story to my young students they told me what they liked the most about the book. First they let me know that the detail put into the illustration of the African American character helped them relate to her better. Bottom line they loved the colorful illustrations altogether. They understood the point that all of us should value ourselves as queens or princesses so we don't try to conform to what we are not. This would have been helpful growing up as a teenager. There is nothing worst than trying to dress, do your hair, lighten your skin or speaking in a way that is not your true self. Teenagers or young girls who haven't started paying attention to what the media says is beautiful should have this book in their hands before it's too late.