Book of the Month for October

Wow, this decision this month was very difficult as there have been so many great releases from Barefoot Books as well as lots of other releases from our other favourite publishers. After much deliberating, we have chosen Dara's Clever Trap and we think you are going to love it.

Meet a cunning princess who is known for her brains, not her beauty. Dara uses her talent as an engineer to foil a wicked plot and save her husband in this Cambodian traditional tale.
The Book is part of Barefoot Books' latest early reader collection, Princes Stories, was released this week alongside The Princess of the Springs. 

Now in general, we are not huge fans of princesses, especially super pink princesses, but we feel that Barefoot are taking a step in the right direction when it comes to stories about traditional princess tales. In this series of books we do not see images of Barbie doll princesses and the plot lines do not revolve around a simple search for true love. Yes, there is a little love in there but this is not the sole life purpose for these women. Take Dara for instance, she is an engineer who loves nothing more than designing buildings and using her skills to help others, in this case her husband. 

I personally think that the covers could have steered away from the pink banner at the top as it is still playing on gender stereotypes but that I could be here forever talking about my issues with pink. Whilst the styling is not perfect for me, there is definitely substance in the story and I hope that it appeals to both boys and girls who are interested in science and engineering. I like that there is a story to tell, based on a traditional Cambodian story, rather than simply churning out age old tales of girls who flutter their eyelashes and meet a prince that solves all of their problems.

I can't wait to get feedback from young boys and girls about this books, so do let us know what your child thinks.