The Story: Cinnamon Stitch (the kite princess) is a princess who wants to climb trees and get dirty, she doesn’t want to wear nice clothes and look grand. After being told off for bad behaviour Cinnamon starts sewing and the queen is delighted. But Cinnamon isn’t sewing a dress, she’s sewing a kite and dreaming of freedom. The king and queen are shocked when they see their daughter flying but the sound of Cinnamon’s singing has a profound and unexpected effect on them.
My daughter is fascinated by the idea of a tomboy princess who doesn’t behave as she is expected to. Cinnamon’s parents are shocked by her high flying antics but when they hear her singing (something they’ve never heard before) they realise that they need to give her the freedom to be herself. They’re also persuaded that it is good to have fun and Cinnamon’s kite flying bonds the family in an unexpected way.
The rhyming text in The Kite Princess is very easy to read and as there is quite a lot of speech we have fun reading the story with different voices. Laura-Kate Chapman’s illustrations have an Oriental feel and are colourful with lots of beautifully, intricate patterns woven in. There is a CD read by Imelda Staunton (who does great voices!) to accompany the book.
Instructions for making your own kite are included, it’s a great craft for autumn when the wind blows.
Age Range: 4 +
Author – Juliet Clare Bell / Illustrator – Laura-Kate Chapman
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