Book Review: Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu

  ***Complimentary product received in exchange for an honest review***

 

Children's rooms are often a colorful menagerie of toys here, clothes there, and stuff everywhere. When something is lost, it may take all day to find it. In the new children's book, Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu by Ylleya Fields, Princess Cupcake learns why she should keep her room clean if she wants to be able to easily find her favorite things.

One morning, awakened right after dawn,
the princess exclaimed "My tutu is GONE!
Was it stolen by robbers? Where did it go?"
She lined her dollies all up in a row.

"Have you seen my tutu? Oh, please, please say yes."
But the dollies were quiet. They just couldn't guess.

Upon learning that her family has an appointment to have an artist paint their portrait, Cupcake disagrees with her mother's suggestion of what she should wear. Cupcake is frantic because she doesn't like the dress her mother picked out and cannot find her favorite tutu--which she wears almost daily. Cupcake goes through the whole palace, searching high and low for her tutu. She looks everywhere--from the kitchen, to inside the washer, and finally goes back to her room. What a mess!

Even after Cupcake tidies her room, her tutu is still nowhere to be found!

As she lies on her bed disappointed, Cupcake looks up and finds herself gazing at a rainbow of orange, yellow, and blue hanging from her ceiling fan! She has found her tutu!

Her mother is proud of her for cleaning up her room, and Cupcake promises to hang her tutu on its hook every night before bed so she will never lose it again.

Children will enjoy the rhyming verses, the colorful illustrations by Michael LaDuca, and the fun storyline of Cupcake's desperate search to find her tutu. They may even ponder the importance of putting things away where they belong so their own favorite things don't get lost or forgotten. Parents may even learn something from this fun story!

As an added bonus, children will also have fun finding the hidden word (love) in each inviting illustrations.


 Where to Buy

You can get your copy of Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu on Amazon. 

About the Author

 Ylleya Fields is the mother of three beautiful children, two of whom are girls. Hunting for books to read to her eldest daughter when she was 2, Fields was struck by the small selection of titles featuring a African American character. Blending both of her daughters' images and personalities, Fields created Princess Cupcake Jones. Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu is the first book in the series. Several more books featuring this adorable young girl are currently in the works, so watch for more adventures starring Cupcake Jones.

 About the Arist
 Growing up with a pencil always in hand, Michael LaDuca always knew his calling was in the arts. He started taking drawing and painting classes at age eight at a Lewiston, NY, art studio and continued to hone his artistic education at Lewiston-Porter High School. He then attended Edinboro University with a focus in animation and illustration. Today, as a master of character expression and still-framed storytelling, Michael produces brilliant illustrations for children's books that charm audiences and bring storybooks to life. You can explore his collection of children's book illustrations by visiting www.luminusmedia.com.

My Thoughts

Princess Cupcake Jones is an adorable tale of a little girl who loses her favorite tutu.  She searches high and low to find it, and in her search learns a valuable lesson. If you always put things away where they belong, they don't get lost. She not only finds the elusive tutu eventually, she also locates many of her other lost treasures when she finally cleans up her room.

Like the author, Ylleya Fields, I have noticed that there aren't many children's books that feature African American characters, so this was a welcome change. My three-year-old daughter loved Cupcake, and being a tutu fanatic herself, could totally relate to the dilemma she faced. She also enjoyed the rhymic text the story is written in. You don't see many rhyming books anymore, but they have a definite appeal to younger children. We also had a great time trying to find the hidden "LOVE" that is somewhere on every page. That was a really great idea that gets kids to interact even if they can't read yet.

I also want give a shout out to the artist, Michael LaDuca. His illustrations are amazing. Each page really comes to life. Cupcake almost seems to dance right off the pages. Illustrations can make or break a story for kids, and these definitely make an impact with their bright colors and realistic features. Even when we aren't reading the book, my daughter will stare at the beautiful images for hours.  This is one of my favorite review books I've gotten so far this year. It gets a five star rating from both me and my daughter.


***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I did receive a sample of the product to try in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. ***