Thankful! The Very Fairy Princess: Attitude of Gratitude by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

HOORAY! IT'S GRATITUDE DAY!

AT SCHOOL WE ARE PRACTICING AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE BY SHOWING KINDNESS AND APPRECIATION ALL DAY.

Gerry, the very fairy princess, is psyched. Good attitude is what fairy princesses are loaded with, and she sets out for school ready to sparkle. And to prove it, her donation to the food pantry is a can of beans for nutrition and a jar full of sprinkles for extra glitz.

While Gerry's nutritional knowledge might have a few gaps, her attitude is certainly ready to dazzle. She climbs on the school bus, ready to show appreciation, but finds she has to sit next to Connor, whose very name has become synonymous with trouble. And then she finds out that her best friend Delilah is home with poison ivy. Gerry's Attitude of Gratitude is a bit strained, but she reminds herself of her motto.

A VERY FAIRY PRINCESS ALWAYS RISES TO THE OCCASION.

But Gerry's attitude is sorely tested when the lid of her jar of sprinkles comes loose and her sprinkles spill all over the floor. Luckily, Coby is kind and shares some iof her gummy bears with Gerry for her jar, and Gerry is genuinely appreciative. Then it's time for the kids to turn in their paintings for the art sale, benefiting the Animal Shelter Center. Gerry is proud of her painting of a Thanksgiving cornucopia, but remembering to be kind, she manages to compliment Connor on his picture.

A surprise fire drill alarm interrupts the morning, and despite spilled sprinkles, a missing best friend, and ringing ears, Gerry tries to hang on to her Attitude of Gratitude. That is, until they go back inside and Gerry sees their paintings all on display. Something about one of them seems strange, yet oddly familiar.

"Your clown rocks," says Connor.

I squint and tilt my head. "It's not a clown! It's a cornucopia, and it's hanging sideways!" I cry.

What's a cornucopia?" asks Connor.

"It's a horn of plenty! A symbol of abundance." says their teacher Mr. Bonario.

"Gerry has created two paintings in ONE!"

Gerry's Attitude of Gratitude returns to rescue the day, in Julie Andrews' and Emma Hamilton's latest in series, The Very Fairy Princess: Attitude of Gratitude (Little, Brown and Company, 2016). Andrews' and Hamilton's gratitude attitude tale is light and upbeat, with a premise that points out that there is more than one way to look at a bad day, and artist Christine Davenier's funny and endearingly light-hearted illustrations keep the mood cheery, as befits a Thanksgiving story fit for a very fairy princess.