Children's books: "The Princess and the Pee", "If I Were a Fungus", and "Starlight, Shine Bright"

The Princess and the Pee by Effua Gleed, illustrated by Juanita Londoño Gaviria (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
If I Were a Fungus by Gaia Stella, translated by Nanette McGuinness (Millbrook Press)
Starlight, Shine Bright by Kalyn Lady (Everlasting Words)

In The Princess and the Pee, Princess Amma has a dream life—until she goes to bed, when her dream becomes a nightmare. Every morning, when she wakes up, the sheets are wet, and the palace has to hustle and bustle to make things right again. Her mother has suggested things and her father has suggested things and the servants have suggested things and nothing has worked—what's a stressed-out princess to do?

The illustrations here are wonderful and playful (Amma's hair, oh my gosh). I love how thoroughly supportive everyone is, and that the book acknowledges that pushing for a solution can be something of an anti-solution in and of itself. Amma's lucky to have the grandmother she does. As a bonus, Amma and her family are Black (and the palace staff is diverse), and I am always just happy to see stories with casual but overt diversity. (More stories that non-white kids can see themselves in, please!)

All told, a thoroughly well designed and thought-out book that may provide some comfort for little kids struggling with bed-wetting, but also with nightmares or anxiety.

Here's one for the curious kiddos in your life: If I Were a Fungus imagines, well, life as a fungus, with the ability to eat without chewing and to be in multiple places (and at multiple birthday parties!) at once. Spare but full-page illustrations bring a further hint of whimsy to the whole thing, and a fact section at the end brings in some more hard-and-fast information.

This one will definitely be a lot of fun for both curious and imaginative kids—pretty much demands that you ask the follow-up question, "If you were a fungus, where would you go?"! You should probably expect to be answering some follow-up questions of your own, too, which seems like a pretty good outcome for a picture book. An excellent fit for a kindergarten classroom library, an outdoorsy kid, or a future scientist.

Starlight, Shine Bright is a brief, spare story about finding one's inner light and letting it shine for others to see.

The illustrations are dreamy and doll-like, focused on the same unnamed character on the front of the book. I have no way of knowing whether AI was involved in the illustrations, though (as a non-artist!) that would be my guess—partly the art style and partly some occasional tiny oddities in the girl's face (e.g., look closely at her ears as the images change, or the few images with visible hands). I suspect the images will especially appeal to small children who are interested in dolls and princesses and faeries—and, partly because the clothing also changes throughout, if more of the pictures were full-length they would make fantastic paper dolls.

Overall, a positive message and lots of visual appeal.

Thanks to the authors and publishers for providing review copies through NetGalley.