The Christmas Princess

August 12, 2022

K-Gr 3-Little Mariah lives with her operatic mother, who prefers singing to speaking, and a talking parrot in a "saggy, wobbly, bubbly brick little shack" that is at the end of a narrow rocky road. One Christmas while Little Mariah's mother is away, two unkind golden-haired children of wealthy neighbors come to call. The children often secretly torment Little Mariah about her unruly hair and her mismatched "tacky tatters." During this visit, they let loose a magic comb to ruin Little Mariah's Christmas tree. When she runs into the nearby woods to escape, Little Mariah encounters the Shamey Shame Boys. Terrified, Mariah holds a heart-shaped stone she found along the way against her chest. The stone brings out of a magical book the Butterfly Fairy Queen, who crowns Little Mariah as the Christmas Princess. This rhyming picture book opens with a letter from the adult Mariah Carey to Little Mariah. In it, she writes to her young self: "I know a lot of people put you down because of your clothes, your house, and your hair, and try to make you feel 'other'-that they are better than you are." But success is the best revenge, and the grown Mariah is a well-known singer-songwriter, perhaps most notably for an upbeat Christmas song. Unfortunately, this story is overly long and disjointed and ends abruptly, which prevents it from being appealing or affirming for readers. VERDICT Not recommended for purchase.-Maria B. Salvadore

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2022
Singer Carey, whose "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is in near-constant rotation each holiday season, makes the leap to Christmas picture book with co-author Davis. Little Mariah lives in a worn, shabby house in a wealthy neighborhood; though poor, she has a kind nature and musical talent--both of which ultimately save her. Taunted by a nasty brother-sister duo who enter her home uninvited, Little Mariah is distracted by snowfall and runs out into the nearby woods. The snow transforms into Snowflake Butterfly Fairies. Following these entrancing visions, she encounters a gang of bullies but, having tripped over a heart-shaped stone, she uses its magical properties for good in a convoluted series of events. The Butterfly Fairy Queen arrives and crowns Little Mariah the Christmas Princess for her "perfectly pure songs from the heart." Back at Little Mariah's house, which has been miraculously transformed, Little Mariah performs Carey's uber-hit Christmas song. Overwritten, overwrought, overlong, and narrated in clunky verse, this holiday story, seemingly inspired by Carey's early childhood and with "Little Match Girl" and "Cinderella" vibes, rambles while making its trite, albeit well-meaning, point. It will attract attention because of the star power of its co-author; note her empowering foreword. The colorful illustrations are cheery. Wide-eyed, blond-curled Mariah and the Fairy Queen have light-tan skin; Mariah's mom and several other characters, including the bullying brother and sister, are pale-skinned; the fairies are diverse in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.) All we want for Christmas is a more coherent story. (Picture book. 4-7)

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