‘The Princess and the Prick’ by Walburga Appleseed

As soon as I saw this title on Twitter, I knew I had to read this book! The subtitle – ‘Fairy Tales for Feminists’ – sounded perfect and I pre-ordered it.

In the flesh (so to speak), it’s a lovely little book and it would make a fantastic gift for the feminist in your life! The hardback has lovely neon pink illustrations and the book is packed with black and white pictures by illustrator Seobhan Hope.

Despite the title, the book covers more than just fairy tales – there are also sections on nursery rhymes, childhood films, children’s classics, and myths and legends. This makes the source material as diverse as The Famous Five, Tintin, Disney films, Arthurian legends and The Hobbit. As well as the aforementioned fairy tales, of course!

Each title or story gets a double page spread – usually one for the short snippets of text (often rhyming) and the other for the accompanying illustration.

This is a book that absolutely takes no prisoners – each of the chosen texts are skewered in turn for their dodgy messages about consent (or lack of!), female representation, the sexualisation of women, traditional gender roles and outdated moral codes. This is all done in a clever, light-touch way and the illustrations are brilliant at hammering home the messages.

If I had just one quibble about this book, it was that I wanted more! More texts, more digging in the stories, more detail – all would have been welcome. However, that isn’t the nature of this book; it does witty, pithy comment extremely well and leaves the reader to ponder on the detail.

In that sense, it is very thought-provoking. While I’d had some of the notions myself (who hasn’t felt slightly uncomfortable about ‘good little housewife’ Anne in ‘The Famous Five’?), I guess there are some things I just hadn’t noticed – the representation of women in Asterix, for example, or the total lack of women in loads of children’s books and films.

Although the approach is humorous and the book entertaining, it does pack a punch in terms of feminist messages. I’d recommend this as a great way to talk about feminist themes with teenagers (not too young – there are some slightly risqué ideas) or just for anyone who wants some food for thought on the stories and films that have become the fabric of our culture. And a laugh along the way, obviously!


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Books That Matter – August Subscription Box Review

*SPOILER ALERT* Do not read if you are awaiting your own subscription box for this month!

This is my 4th month with ‘Books That Matter‘, the feminist subscription box that delivers a book and other treats to your door for the princely sum of £20 a month (including postage).

I’ll admit that I was sceptical about whether I’d get books I actually wanted to read (especially as I buy so many books) but 3/4 have been hits so far.

The Box

August’s box arrived, as they all do, having been well squashed by the postal service – the boxes are a bit flimsy, but the contents are usually just fine. As usual, everything is beautifully packed and opening the boxes is becoming a monthly treat.

Each of the monthly boxes is themed and this month is ‘Women of the World: Celebrating Women in Translation Month’ – a fab theme, I think, as I definitely am trying to read more from outside of my home nation, the UK.

August’s contents are:

  • The book ‘The Adventures of China Iron’ by Gabriela Cabezon Camara (translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre)
  • A sew-on woven patch, branded Betty Ratbag, plus a postcard of the same design
  • A Woman of the World cookie (by M and H Cake)
  • A tube containing a ‘Put Her on the Map’ mini-poster
  • A sticker and bookmark of this month’s theme
  • Two booklets – one about the box contents and the other about pioneering women from around the world
The contents of the box (except poster)

My Thoughts

I’m really pleased with this month’s book choice. I’d not heard of the book or the writer before, but it looks absolutely brilliant. Reading the opening pages has definitely made me want to read more and it is on an area of the world (Argentina) that I know very little about – another excellent reason to read on.

I love the design of the patch and postcard, but I’m really not sure what use I have for it. Maybe if I was younger and more rebellious, it would be perfect – as it is, I’m a 40 year old mum and teacher who can’t really wear patches with naked women on! I can only think it would be too distracting for my pupils and my own kids…

Let’s face it, cookies are always welcome!

As for the rest of the box, I can only say it is very papery… the items are well-designed and the booklets interesting. I can definitely always find a home for a bookmark and sticker, although I will struggle to know what to do with the booklets once I’ve glanced through them and the poster isn’t something I’d want to put up. All very interesting, but probably not items I’d want to keep longer term.

The mini-poster

The Verdict

A fabulous themed box with a great book choice. Worth the subscription fee although, for me, not all the items quite hit the spot. I’ll definitely keep subscribing next month!