I was accepted to give a paper for Sirens again, this time about princesses in picture books. (Last year, I did one on haunted toys in middle grade lit.) So, it’s getting down to the wire, it seems, even though I won’t read until October. You see, I set a task that is possibly ginormous; I’m even now paring down what to focus on lest my brain explode. This week, I had to go through an email folder where I’d emailed myself a bunch of links (and a phone folder of photos I took in bookstores instead of writing things down), so this is where I’m starting with my review of what a princess looks/is/feels/subtexts like in picture books. I’m trying to limit things to post-2000ish picture books, and trying to look at the more generic princesses in books and on covers, rather than fairy tale retellings (which I will look at for reference and interest and argument), though I reserve the right to throw in a few, as well as a few nonfiction princess books. I’m also looking more at books that I think may have had a wider release; in other words, I will not be looking at certain books that are maybe only available through subscription services and the like.
Here’s what my research has netted so far. I’m sure I’ll find more as I continue–and I really hope my local library has some of these in circulation.
Note that I haven’t checked over any of these yet–they’re not yet using the same format, I didn’t always note the illustrator or author, I didn’t take down publisher, etc. This is very preliminary!
