Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Creatively punning dialogue and action-packed comics-style panels winningly combine in this highly entertaining princess smackdown. Courtesy of "the WPW: World Princess Wrestling," a global cast of princesses compete to beat the reigning champion, avian Swan Princess. One by one, the royal wrestlers enter the ring to take on the "prima slammerina." Rapunzel the Reaper "comes in hot with her signature Hair Whiplash," but to no avail, and Sleeping "Leaping" Beauty is "downed with a sleeper hold. Oh, the irony." After Kaguya, the Moon Monarch of Mayhem!, temporarily fells the bird with a "moonsault," the antagonist trashes the stadium, leaving previously dismissed towel girl Little Red Riding Hood to draw on her own storied background. Crede's gleeful text doesn't miss a trash-talking trick, and Hill's exuberant gouache, watercolor, and digital renderings capture the matches' glamour and over-the-top drama. It's truly a fairy tale fight not to miss. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
This picture book using comic-style conventions presents a mashup of professional-wrestling bluster and traditional fairy-tale characters and tropes in one dramatic sporting event: World Princess Wrestling, or WPW. Six princesses "from all over the globe" intend to wrestle "reigning victor" Swan Princess for the Enchanted Championship Belt. Little Red Riding Hood serves as towel girl, all the while pleading for her own chance to fight. After five rounds (Badroulbadour and Cinderella Ninjarella compete as a pair) -- each vividly illustrated and entertainingly narrated -- Swan Princess is still undefeated. With all the other princesses knocked out, Little Red finally steps into the ring. "In this corner, one rough-and-tough pirouetting-not-fretting queen-in-the-making-with-a-belt-for-the-taking! And in this corner...a kid in a little red wrestling singlet?" No one suspects the wolfish tricks she has under her hood. The theatrical fighting and fairy-tale taunting, shown in speech bubbles, command attention, but the tiny comical details in the illustrations, from the architecture of the locker rooms to the familiar characters populating the crowd, make this book worth poring over. In the end, Little Red Riding Hood's victory serves to inspire other small fighters, with Thumbelina immediately declaring herself "Ready-to-Rumble-ina." The spectacle ends with a collection of WPW cards featuring each wrestler with her name, region of origin, signature move, and a "fun fact" -- e.g., Sleeping Beauty "credits daily naps for her success." Julie RoachSeptember/October 2025 p.39 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Princess tropes get a takedown when an undersize challenger steps into the royal ring. "Welcome to the WPW: World Princess Wrestling," where reigning champion Swan Princess, "the baddest bird of the ballet," is ready to rumble with fairy-tale royalty in defense of the Enchanted Championship Belt. Light-skinned Rapunzel the Reaper "comes in hot with her signature Hair Whiplash" move, and Kaguya (of Japanese folklore) gives it a valiant go with her Moonsault, but in round after round, the royal highnesses fall flat. Enter "a kid in a little red wrestling singlet," a pint-size, rosy-cheeked, light-skinned child who's been hungry to give the Swan a go. Little Red, who up to now has served as the towel girl, unleashes her "wolf mode" to demonstrate that "anyone can battle, no matter what size." Direct narration by a tuxedoed green ogre sets the tone of a zealous sportscast, and the strong female cast is a plus. Speech-bubble smack talk, in a distinct font and laden with fairy-tale references, keeps this sporty romp moving along at a speedy clip, while expressive mixed-media illustrations capture clever details; a closer look at the title page hints at Little Red's brawn, and folklore favorites, diverse in skin tone, dot the crowd. All the mayhem and a little magical "kayfabe" (presenting the unreal as real) enchant, and, of course, "they all lived scrappily ever after." A punny KO for spunky fairy-tale lovers and storytimes.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
