Song of the Court by Katy Farina is a cute story about being true to yourself. It might be a bit sugary sweet for some (probably mostly adults and/or older readers), but for the ages six to eight crowd, and if the reader is more “girly” in their tastes, it is right up their alley.
There are princesses, music, gardening, best friends, and a lot more. The illustrations are bold, but not necessarily to extreme. Farina makes them in an anime format, that has hints of being a comic. Ashanti Fortson is credited with doing the colors. And once you see the cover, you know what you are getting into.
Arietta is a cat who needs money to purchase seeds for her garden. But the only way to do that is to sell her grandfather’s beloved violin. Due to a mix-up with none other than Princess Cassia, Arietta is caught in a lie that means she will have to play for the princess at her upcoming birthday party. But Arietta does not know how to play the violin! With the help of another friend, Arietta learns that she is a natural musician. But she neglects her garden in the process. Is there a way to keep both parts of herself?
Overall, this is a modern fairy tale with the old school idea of trying to be true to all of yourself, balance and learning true friends love you no matter what. With a more modern tone to tie it all together, kids will thinks this story is the cats meow.
