I Want to Win!

Author/Illustrator: Tony Ross
Publisher: Andersen Press
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761389934
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: February 2012

The Little Princess had on her boxing gloves and POW! She knocked out her stuffed animal. It wasn’t any surprise that she won, because the “Little Princess liked to win.” Always, all the time, and she never ever liked to lose. The Little Princess could be tricky. One time when she entered the running race she was too pooped to pop and lagged behind everyone else. She stuck her finger in the air and commanded them to stop. The children’s eyes grew wide at the command, but when she declared, “The race must be run in the opposite direction!” Surprise! The Little Princess won.

At home in her castle, everyone let her win. The Little Princess won at ping pong by bopping the maid in the nose with the ball. When she was at school, it was a different matter indeed. There were beautiful trophies for science, poetry, math, and painting AND she wanted them all for herself. She lifted her fingers to her lips and thought about how she could get them, but things started to go terribly wrong. The Little Princess’s eyes grew sad as those trophies began to go to the other children. What was going to happen to her if she wasn’t number one all the time?

Many young children are very competitive and always think they have to win like the Little Princess. The whimsical way in which this tale is told will help children realize that sometimes when they truly earn an award or competition, it’s much more satisfying. The framed pen-and-ink watercolors are bold and quite animated, much like the Little Princess herself. If you have a competitive little prince or princess, or one who simply loves a good story, this is one you might want to add to your list!

Quill says: This is a delightful tale of a Little Princess who discovered she couldn’t always have her way.