Can Princess Snowbelle overcome her jitters to sing at the Snow Ball?Of course she can—with a little help from her best friend, Sparkleshine. The princess, depicted as a white girl with brown hair and blue eyes, has never sung in front of such a big audience, but her royal parents want her to sing at the ball, and she knows she can do it as long as her best friend is there to play the piano for her. Sparkleshine is depicted as a child of color with brown skin and dark curly hair, and she's given neither a title nor a family of her own in the text. When Sparkleshine is late arriving at the Opaline Palace for the ball, Princess Snowbelle sets off on horseback to find her, but she becomes lost in the forest. Luckily, a bevy of animal friends help the princess rescue Sparkleshine, and the girls arrive at the palace just in time to change into sparkly dresses and give their performance. Despite a preponderance of princess-y gimmicks in text and art—a magical charm bracelet, for example—the text is lackluster and message-heavy, and the illustrations do little to improve the storytelling. Sparkleshine's subordinate role is particularly discouraging. While princess-loving readers may be charmed, there's little else to recommend this title. (Picture book. 3-5)

Princess Snowbelle of Frostovia is nervous about singing at the palace-s Snow Ball, and things get even worse when her friend and accompanist, Sparkleshine, doesn-t show up, trapped in the woods during a snowstorm. With help from a magical charm bracelet and a few woodland creatures, Snowbelle saves her friend and makes it back to the castle in time to perform her song to rave reviews. Frost (a pseudonym) sets up some dramatic stakes, but everything comes so easily to Snowbelle that the story never generates much tension. Devoted Frozen fans should enjoy the friendship-centric message and the regal details of Snowbelle-s home, as depicted in Fleming-s frost-tinged cartoons, but others may find the gushing narration (-All at once, a beautiful glimmering light burst from the snowflake charm-) a bit too cloying. Ages 3-6. Illustrator-s agency: Bright Group. (Nov.)

PreS-Gr 1 Snowbelle is the beautiful, young princess of Frostovia, a snowy, mountainous kingdom rendered by Fleming in swirling white, purples, pinks, and blues. At the beginning of the story, Snowbelle is nervous because her royal parents have asked her to sing the opening song at the upcoming Snow Ball. To help keep her calm, her parents tell her that they will be there and her good friend Sparkleshine will accompany her on the piano. They remind her that "Friendship is like magic and can help you get through anything." Unfortunately, Sparkleshine does not arrive at the castle due to a huge snowstorm, so Snowbelle and her horse ride out to rescue her. Their success in finding Sparkleshine is due not only to Snowbelle's courage and loyalty but also to her magic bracelet and the helpfulness of the forest animals. All predictably ends happily at the Snow Ball, and after her successful song, Snowbelle reflects on the power of friendship and magic. Little girls who yearn for princess stories will enjoy this almost too-sweet story, since the book looks and feels like the Disney movie Frozen . There is a brave, kindhearted princess; a snowy world with forests, mountains, and a beautiful castle; and even the colors of the movie. VERDICT There is nothing new or noteworthy about the storytelling or the artwork in this less-than-magical picture book. A marginal purchase for avid young princess lovers only. Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, CA