Princess Truly in I Am Truly

May 1, 2017
A little brown girl's celebration of her boundless potential.In rhyming text, the confident protagonist, Princess Truly, talks about all of her assets: she can construct tall towers, use her magical powers, exercise her leadership skills, finish off a root beer float, take a spaceship to the moon, and more. Truly stays in constant motion and appears to be having a great time, regardless of what she's doing. Since her trusty stuffed animal companions--a couple of penguins, a pair of bunnies, and a lion--and her sidekick, a pug, always accompany Truly on her adventures, readers will enjoy following the antics of these diminutive assistants as well. Rauscher relies primarily on a palette of pastel watercolor in the illustrations and makes excellent use of white space to help readers focus on Truly, who undertakes a different endeavor on every page--and occasionally multiple endeavors on a single page. Truly's hairdo of two sparkly puffballs and her ensemble--a white shirt with black stripes worn with a lavender tutu and green lace-up tennis shoes--give her a fun and fashionable flair that readers young and old alike will enjoy. The author and illustrator, who have brown girls of their own, include photographs of themselves with their daughters in the backmatter. Positive, fun, and truly lively. (Picture book. 3-7)

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August 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-With a strong message of empowerment, this book is a simple story about a little girl of color who can dream and do anything she puts her mind to. A continuation of the series, this installment finds Truly sailing the seas, engineering a teddy bear machine, parachuting, and tying her shoes. The message of "I am special-and so are you" is sweet and to the point. Soft, pastel illustrations highlight the simple rhyming text. VERDICT A general purchase for libraries serving primary grades, this title is sure to become a quick favorite with readers of the series.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
Preschool-K Meet Truly: she's not your traditional storybook princess. Addressing her readers directly, she proclaims her likes, her skills, her talents, her successes. A born leader, there is nothing this brown-skinned girl can't do, whether it's climbing mountains, finishing a root beer float, dancing to the moon, or racing fast cars. The illustrations, in soft pastels, show her in constant action, complete with sparkly hair and big moves. Her animal pals (bunnies, penguins, a pup, and a cat) add to the charm. The language is equally energizing: Truly describes herself as focused, fierce, flexible, studious. The text defies predictability by changing the pattern of rhymed lines, disrupting a possible singsong pattern, and the double-page spreads are interspersed with busier single pages containing multiple images. All reinforce her busyness and energy. The books ends with a direct statement to readers, reminding them of their potential. Pair with Andrea Beaty's Rosie Revere, Engineer (2013) for another story about a strong, independent, capable girl.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
A brown-skinned girl named Truly asserts in rhyme how confident, capable, and strong she is, with the illustrations showing Truly sporting pigtails and a purple tutu as she studies, shoots hoops, drives a racecar, etc. At book's end, the mantra-like text asks, "Do you know that you can do all these things, too?" Truly delivers her girl-power message with self-assurance and abundant personality.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)