One evening, as I was getting ready to shut down the computer, Miss C came into the room. I had 4 or 5 sites up, and C stood by me as I clicked down each one. She inhaled deeply as she saw, for the first time, this blog.
"It's the princesses!" she exclaimed. "Let's just look at them for a minute."
She climbed up onto my lap and gazed at the picture which appears at the top here. We sat, cheek to cheek, studying the group of them. She pointed carefully, naming each one, "There's Belle, Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel...is she standing on her tail?" she asked, incredulous.
"It looks like it," I said.
She cracked up, "Mermaids don't stand on their tail!"
Then she went on listing, "And Snow White, and Aurora. The princesses."
Sigh. The princesses.
"But you know," she continued, "that's not really all of the princesses."
Except she says really as weeeweeee. Which makes it hard not to eat her up.
"It's not?" I feigned shock. "Who's missing?"
"Princess Tiana!" she exclaimed. "She's not there."
"Well, where is she?"
"Well," she chewed her cheek, "she got married. And then, she died."
"Oh," I said.
"And you know who else?"
"Who?"
She looked at me as this silly creature, always needing explanations.
"Mulan is missing."
"Where is Mulan?"
"She got married. And then she died."
"Oh."
"Yes."
"Is that all of them?"
"No. Because you know, Pocohontas is missing."
"Where is Pocohontas?"
Exasperated now, "She got MARRIED and then she died!"
"My my. Well, is that everybody?"
"No," she sighed. "Because Princess Presto is not there either."
"Where is Princess Presto?"
"She is flying around. And she's spelling cat, C-A-T."
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Hmmm, this makes me very nervous about ever getting married!
ReplyDeleteApropos of not this, I was showing the book Melisande by E. Nesbitt to the bloke on the weekend. Have you read it? We had it as a kid, and it was right up there with the Paper Bag princess as one of my favourites - better, because there are gorgeous pictures, and she is beautiful and has an awesome dress. But is also smart and good, and there's maths and politics and economics involved and she's useful.
Psshh, craftastrophies
ReplyDeleteIt makes me nervous about the mortality rate of Princesses of Colour. Apparently Minority Princess + Marriage = Death.
Hmm, how did Jasmine wriggle out of that curse?
So...this entire blog is pretty much amazing.
ReplyDeletecraftastrophies---as well you SHOULD be ;)
ReplyDeleteI have not read, nor heard, of Melisande. But after your description...why have I not heard of this one?? Just added it to the library list!
Avalon's Willow--How DID Jasmine avoid being offed?
It seems that when a Princess of Color is pictured with the Other Princesses, there's rarely more than one.
JayTee--thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing a book of your poems when it comes out!