The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde

The Princess in Black is back, in her third book, along with the long-promised horde....

of bunnies!

Princess Magnolia and her "unicorn" Frimplepants are happily on their way to a delicious brunch with Princess Sneezewort when they get the danger signal. Somewhat frustrated, they race to the rescue only to discover a...bunny. Yep, a cute little purple bunny. How is that a monster worth missing brunch?? But pretty soon there are more bunnies and more bunnies until it's a HORDE of bunnies and the Princess in Black is getting worried. Sure, they're cute but what are they doing? Besides eating everything in sight!

Pham's colorful illustrations are as cute and wickedly funny as ever. Magnolia's dreams of delicious brunch are enough to make show more anyone hungry and her adoration of the bunnies' cuteness will make readers giggle.

It can be difficult to follow up a unique gambit like the Princess in Black - the twist endings and surprise are muted once you know the conceit and it makes it a little more predictable. I felt the second title was a little bit blah compared to the first. However, this one ramps up the fun once again and adds in another dimension to the theme of not taking things on face value. Just because Magnolia looks like a fancy, frilly princess doesn't mean she can't enjoy tasty treats and be a monster-fighting ninja princess! And just because the bunnies look cute and fluffy doesn't mean they're harmless!

Verdict: This series is a must-have for every library that serves elementary students. Great as a read-aloud as well and many older readers also enjoy it! The third title is all that one could desire and I can't wait to introduce it to the many, many fans of the Princess in Black!

ISBN: 9780763665135; Published 2016 by Candlewick; Purchased for the library show less

An early chapter book with pictures and a hero who is a princess that would rather be fighting monsters than sitting around doing nothing in pink. This is the third in the series but the first that didn't feel like such a tug of war to get the PIB to the site of the conflict and away from the castle so she has more time to get the monster back into the hole. But this time does she even see the monster until things get scarier than I thought they would in a PIB book. My daughter had nightmares the night she read this book out loud with me and she says they weren't about the content of the book, but I wonder if there was some influence. I didn't think I would have to pre-read these books after reading the first two before my daughter saw show more them, but I missed this one and now I'll be scanning the others first just in case there are more surprises. show less

This review originally published on The Children's Book and Media Review run by Brigham Young University.

Princess Magnolia and her unicorn, Frumplepants, are on their way to brunch with Princess Sneezewort when Princess Magnolia’s ring alerts her that there are monsters around. It is time for her to turn into the Princess in Black and for Frumplepants to turn into Blacky! When she goes to fight the monsters, however, all she sees are adorable bunnies. Duff the Goat Boy tries to convince her that the bunnies are dangerous when they are trying to eat all the grass, trees, and even his goats, but the Princess in Black is too enthralled by their cuteness to care until it is almost too late. The bunnies are about to eat her, but luckily show more Blacky can speak the language of Cuteness to save the day.

The third book in The Princess in Black Series, this story will delight old and new fans. It explains the characters and situations enough that new readers will be able to follow along with the story. Princess Magnolia is a gem of a character because while she is girly and loves feminine things, she can also be a superhero when she needs to be to help people in trouble. This book is especially fun because Blacky gets to save the day more than he has in the past, but the princess still has her chance to shine. With cute illustrations and funny writing, people of all ages will enjoy reading about the adventures of the Princess in Black. show less

Hungry bunnies aren't monsters...or are they? These rabbits are ravenous, and they only speak the language of cute. Fortunately, Blackie the pony (a.k.a. Frimplepants the Unicorn) speaks that language fluently, and helps Princess Magnolia send the bunnies back to Monsterland - not in time for brunch with Princess Sneezewort, but at least in time for lunch.

Goodness. So cute. I want a Princess in Black themed birthday party. You know, Pin the Unicorn Horn on Blacky, and wrapping paper with purple monster bunnies on it, and a table cloth with the other monsters, and something (?) with Duff and the Goats, and of course Tiaras for everyone.

A wonderful third book of this series. My granddaughter and I loved reading these books together. I was happy to see Princess Sneezewart return in this story. She and Frimplepants the unicorn are my favorite characters!