Aren’t they sweet? Beautiful? Charming and gracious?
Apparently not!
An initial glance through How to Get Rid of a Princess may have you wondering about gender stereotypes – sweet little girls (aka princesses) going ga-ga over shiny bling and tea parties.
Apparently not!
An initial glance through How to Get Rid of a Princess may have you wondering about gender stereotypes – sweet little girls (aka princesses) going ga-ga over shiny bling and tea parties.
What we have in this very clever picture book is a subtle lesson in the art of appreciating and getting along with your siblings.
The struggle of an only child (or any older siblings) in having to adapt to having a new sister (or brother) who takes up all the time and invades your privacy is real. Also real is the bond that exists – eventually – between siblings … even if they are annoying invaders of our sacred personal space.
Alison McLennan’s ‘prince’ suggests many ways to get rid of your resident princess. Try putting up sternly worded signs. Erect (or dig) barriers. Engage help from ‘fierce creatures’.
However, as the prince points out, princesses are ‘stealthy, sneaky and sly’, with the rather annoying ability to completely ignore or disarm your carefully constructed protections.
And what then?
This tongue-in-cheek, yet close-to-home, picture book has such serious undertones in the telling – and that’s what makes it so funny. Starting with determination, the prince narrator’s tone quickly and cleverly transforms into resignation – very accurately mimicking the experience of many older siblings.
Mel Pearce’s illustrations are, as always, quirky, busy and loaded with expression. They complement and supplement Alison McLennan’s clever text perfectly.
Not all big brothers and sisters are thrilled at the thought of the arrival of a new baby princess (or prince), so perhaps this book is for them.
Or perhaps it’s (also) for the older siblings who have already been through it all and will be delighted to see their experiences, and themselves, in the prince character.
Whatever the audience, How to Get Rid of a Princess addresses the boy vs girl, older vs younger dynamics in a mock serious and completely fun way.
Title: How to Get Rid of a Princess
Author: Alison McLennan
Illustrator: Mel Pearce
Publisher: Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing $24.99
Publication Date: 31 March 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761212970
For ages: 4 – 8
Type: Picture Book
The struggle of an only child (or any older siblings) in having to adapt to having a new sister (or brother) who takes up all the time and invades your privacy is real. Also real is the bond that exists – eventually – between siblings … even if they are annoying invaders of our sacred personal space.
Alison McLennan’s ‘prince’ suggests many ways to get rid of your resident princess. Try putting up sternly worded signs. Erect (or dig) barriers. Engage help from ‘fierce creatures’.
However, as the prince points out, princesses are ‘stealthy, sneaky and sly’, with the rather annoying ability to completely ignore or disarm your carefully constructed protections.
And what then?
This tongue-in-cheek, yet close-to-home, picture book has such serious undertones in the telling – and that’s what makes it so funny. Starting with determination, the prince narrator’s tone quickly and cleverly transforms into resignation – very accurately mimicking the experience of many older siblings.
Mel Pearce’s illustrations are, as always, quirky, busy and loaded with expression. They complement and supplement Alison McLennan’s clever text perfectly.
Not all big brothers and sisters are thrilled at the thought of the arrival of a new baby princess (or prince), so perhaps this book is for them.
Or perhaps it’s (also) for the older siblings who have already been through it all and will be delighted to see their experiences, and themselves, in the prince character.
Whatever the audience, How to Get Rid of a Princess addresses the boy vs girl, older vs younger dynamics in a mock serious and completely fun way.
Title: How to Get Rid of a Princess
Author: Alison McLennan
Illustrator: Mel Pearce
Publisher: Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing $24.99
Publication Date: 31 March 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761212970
For ages: 4 – 8
Type: Picture Book
