Tissue warning: The Adventures of Prince and Theodore is a magical family story that will have you feeling the feels.
The Adventures of Prince and Theodore starts out as a lovely book about a group of kids staying with their Nana… until Theodore opens the attic. Then the magic begins! He meets Prince the Parrot who introduces him to extraordinary family members like his Great Aunt Delilah who was a genius and Great Uncle Zachary who was a Freedom Rider.
When Theodore asks, “What About Me? Will I be extraordinary?” ooooh did my heart catch!
By the end I was doing that thing where you read super slowly so you can get through the book before the tears have time to form. Absolutely beautiful message.
Speaking of beautiful, wow these illustrations! My absolute favorite is a pink pillow on page 6:
The book is a bit long for a preschooler, perfect for 1st grade or so. For our 4 year old we split the story in two, one part about Theodore and his Nana and one part about the Turner family history.
This is a story of discovery, of family pride, and of making your own future. We loved it.
Written and illustrated by Allison Bowen. Edited by Michelle Melamed. Published by Centered Storytime, who is publishing a children’s book series exploring social and emotional experiences. Fun fact, one of the Centered Storytime founders has a child named Theodore!
Thank you Centered Storytime for kindly gifting us a copy, I can’t wait to see what you bring out next.
This digital book is available directly from Centered Storytime.