The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke (Author), Kerstin Meyer (Illustrator)
I chose this book after looking for some alternative princess stories for my princess-obsessed pre-schooler monkey.
Princess Violetta has grown up with several older brothers and when she is unable to match them in jousting or riding horses, she takes it upon herself to train at night. Unfortunately, one day her father decides it’s time for her to be like the other princesses and get married. So when the King throws a tournament to determine who will win her hand in marriage, the princess decides to compete for herself. And wins. I really enjoyed the message in this one, and though the book does end with a wedding, Princess Violetta chooses her own spouse (and he’s not a knight or a prince). My only issue with this book was the confusing layout–on some pages, the illustrations progress across the page horizontally (kind of like a comic strip), but the words continue normally down the page.
Overall though, this one was a fun princess story that doesn’t emphasize wearing gowns and being pretty, but was still princess-y enough for my pre-schooler to enjoy.