Princess Nicki has perfect posture, wears perfect princess attire, and has perfectly memorized every chapter of "Manners for Monarchs" -- but she refuses to eat her vegetables. From Caldecott Honor recipient Marjorie Priceman comes a droll, playful story about a perfectly picky eater. Kindergarten-Grade 3-Known as picky and persnickety, Princess Pain-in-the-Neck will not eat her vegetables. No amount of coaxing and bribery will change the stubborn child's mind. Finally, when the wizard asks her what she wants, Princess Nicki lists her wishes, including "I want to fly." The wizard advises her to bury the pips he gives her in the ground, care for them, and when the magic potions appear, "Pick them. Eat them. Chew thoroughly." Soon, spinach, carrots, broccoli, peppers, beets, and peas appear where magic pips stood, and the wizard promises all sorts of results if she will eat them. Ultimately, the princess concedes and gets everything she wants. She grows up to be tall and smart and invents a flying machine. On the last page, she is seen soaring high above the kingdom in her airplane with her long hair trailing behind her. Priceman's vibrant and exuberant acrylic and cut-paper illustrations propel the story forward. The plot seems a bit purposeful: eat your vegetables and you'll grow tall, wise, and inventive. Inquiring readers might want to know what caused the formerly perfect princess to partake in a vegetable rebellion, and doubt her turnaround that seems a bit too quick to be convincing. Marian Creamer, Children's Literature Alive, Portland, OR Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Publishers Weekly Priceman's exuberant art crowns a story of a princess who learns to eat her vegetables. The opening spread sets up the premise: the otherwise perfect Princess Nicki scowls as a plump lady-in-waiting wearing wimple and cornet offers her a single pea on a plate; other royals hover anxiously. At the king's order, the staff tries bribes. The coachman, for example, says that if Nicki will try a bite of broccoli, she may ride in a gilded coach "complete with white wall tires... and a global positioning pigeon." With their characteristic verve and quirky fun, Priceman's high-intensity, lushly colored illustrations make hay with the palace fantasy, from the acrobatic jesters to the storybook-style servants to the cats who mirror Nicki's expressions. At last, the castle wizard asks Nicki what she wants. When she tells him her answer to be smart and tall and long-haired, to have a dog and to fly he sends her off with magic pips to plant at midnight. "You tricked me!" she complains when they yield "vile vegetables." "To the contrary," says the wizard. He explains that the vegetables will help her grow smart, tall and long-haired. "You'll have to ask your mother about the dog... and I'm still working on the flying," he finishes modestly. The final spread shows Nicki flying her kingdom's first airplane, with her dog, Turnip, by her side. Young readers might not like their vegetables any better, but they'll certainly clamor for more of Princess Picky. School Library Journal Priceman's vibrant and exuberant acrylic and cut-paper illustrations propel the story forward. The plot seems a bit purposeful: eat your vegetables and you'll grow tall, wise, and inventive. Bulletin, Center for Children's Books The exaggerated text is accompanied by equally exaggerated art: the palace setting is replete with elegantly elongated figures, oversized thrones, vaulted ceilings, and huge chambers. Though purposive, this tale is also clever and funny, and that makes all the difference. Marjorie Priceman's many books include Emeline at the Circus , and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World . Her illustrations for Zin! Zin! A Violin , by Lloyd Moss, earned her a 1996 Caldecott Honor award. Used Book in Good Condition