.
Covers are the first thing that influences me to even pick up a book and Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler has a very cute one that I found impossible to resist. I could tell it was a children’s cover, but that’s perfect, seeing it’s a children’s book. Suitable for children of all ages. From three to one hundred and three.
Meg’s daughter, Callista, did the cover drawings for the dragon and Bianca. Kelsey Rice added color, style and put it all together. Well done!
MY REVIEW
The cute cover lured me in and I was thoroughly entertained by Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler. It may be recommended for ages 3+ and up, but I think everyone will fall in love with the characters that come into Bianca’s life. I know I did.
Bianca is a thirteen year old princess considered so frail by her father, King Dominic, she ias kept isolated in the castle, not allowed to go outside, let alone play with any of the town children. Her highlight of the day was her subjects amassing below the castle tower window, cheering and waving at her.
No one knew, but she entertained herself, running and playing on the stairs, sword slashing at imaginary foes, and lots and lots of reading. Don’t we all get lost in stories?
No one expects her to do anything but be pretty, don’t worry about anything, and eventually get married to her chosen mate. But when her father and the knights never return from the hunt for the dragon, she makes up her mind it is her duty, as the princess, to find them.
She sets off with Sammy, the donkey. Imagine never doing anything for yourself, never having been outside, never feeling the sun on your face, the grass beneath your feet, the dust in your nose. The stories never prepare you for ‘real life’, but Bianca has no fear. She will figure it out, whether it’s finding shelter or cooking her own meal. A very determined young lady that any child would love to emulate.
She meets a witch, fairies, a magical cat, a dragon, a wolf and other animals that hang in the forest. I worried for her…a little…but she had magical help from the animals around her and I knew they were looking out for her. And the dragon…Well, you will have to read for yourself to find out with him.
If you are looking for a children’s book that will give yourself and your little ones hours of reading pleasure, look not further. This is it. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started and it took me under four hours to finish it. I debated on the rating because I love heavy and dark reading, but this is a children’s story that I loved and think ‘children’ of all ages will too. A well deserved four stars.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Princess Bianca had never set foot outside the castle walls. Not once in her over-protected, pink, fluffy life. But when a dragon was spotted in the land and fear spread that the monster had conquered the king and his brave knights, Bianca realized that it was her duty to protect her kingdom. She will have to prove that she can be braver and stronger than anyone believed because the threat outside the protection of her castle tower was more dangerous and magical than she ever imagined possible, except in a fairy tale.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Dendler has considered herself a writer since she won a picture book contest in 5th grade and entertained her classmates with ongoing sequels for the rest of the year. Beginning serious work as a freelancer in the ’90s while teaching elementary and middle school, Meg has over one hundred articles in print, including interviews with Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. She has won contests with her short stories and poetry, along with multiple international awards for her best-selling “Cats in the Mirror” alien rescue cat children’s book series. Meg is also an editor with Pen-L Publishing and works with independent and self-publishing authors to polish their manuscripts for publication.
Meg and her family (including four cats and her dog, Max) live in Arkansas. Visit her at www.megdendler.com for more information about upcoming books and events and all of Meg’s social media links.
In the first book of the Cats in the Mirror series, “Why Kimba Saved The World,” feisty house cat Kimba learns that she is really part of an alien race and has to pick sides between her loyal human family and her feline destiny. The second book, “Vacation Hiro,” came out in November of 2013. These first two books in the Cats in the Mirror series have been honored with Silver Mom’s Choice Awards, and “Why Kimba Saved The World” won a Bronze Moonbeam Children’s Book Award as “Best First Book.” Book 3, “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge,” released on September 12, 2014. A companion book to her Cats in the Mirror series, “Max’s Wild Night,” was published in May, 2015, and Book 4 in the Cats in the Mirror series, “Slinky Steps Out” joined the pack in the spring of 2016. An adult book, “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main,” was released by Pen-L Publishing in September of 2015.
Website / Blog / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / LinkedIn / Instagram
FOLLOW THE TOUR
Dec. 1 Meg Dendler’s Blog & Book Launch/Promotion
Dec. 2 Book ‘Em Book Club (Interview)
Dec. 3 Fundimental (Review)
Dec. 4 Ellie Mack (Review)
Dec. 5 Michelle Dunton @ Writing Fun (Phone Interview,Skype?)
Dec. 6 H. L. Burke (Promo Post)
Typewriter Society (Interview)
Dec. 7 Amanda’s Books & More (Guest Post)
Dec. 8 Kay LaLone (Review)
Dec. 9 Kris Riley at “My Blissful Books” (Review)
Dec. 10 Coffee Addicts Book Review (Review)
Dec. 11 Waggy Tails Dog Blog (Review)
Lily Iona MacKenzie (Interview)
Dec. 12 Whispering Stories (Review?)
Dec. 13 Read Explore Repeat (Review)
Dec. 14 Sorchia’s Universe (Promo Post)
Dec. 15 A Day in the Tangled Skein of My Life (Review)
Dec. 16 Watch Jane Write (Review)
Dec. 17 Meg’s Blog for Wrapup
