Teish loves anything pink and princess-y with a passion. But Koori Princess isn’t really about Teish and her love of princesses – she never really wavers much from her enthusiasm and remains firm in her belief that she is a princess all throughout the book. Koori Princess is more about Teish’s family, especially her teenage siblings and cousins, who learn to accept Teish’s love of princesses. Her parents never make her feel bad about her passion. In fact, they joyfully support it. However, they do gently point out princesses represent colonialism, and that Teish shouldn’t rely on a Prince Charming to come to her rescue. Not that Teish is the kind of character who would wait for anyone!

Anita Heiss packs a lot into this little book. Alongside some great conversations about colonialism, there are also mentions of the Holocaust, Trump, fat shaming, fl irting and gaslighting. Koori Princess is a great starting point for a lot of necessary and important discussions for kids aged 8 and up.

Dani Solomon is the manager of Readings Kids