I don’t know which came first for me to read, The Princess Away Beyond the Mountains by Valeria Angela Pisi and illustrated by Francesc Rovira (available) or April’s Journey by Annamaria Piccione, Luis Amavisca, and Francesc Rovira (available). Whichever way it was (both read via online readers) April’s Journey made me think that it felt familiar. But I do not think I had read either before. It turned out that both were done by Francesc Rovira as the illustrator, and there was the familarity, with images are the conntecgtion
Both are cute, fun stories but those illustrations were the keeper for me. I like both books. They are solid, but I really liked the whimsy of the illustrations. Princesses is a good story for girl power. They might look like DID’s (Damsels in Distress) but these princesses ain’t! They like their dragons, their knights? Not as much. But they do like their freedom and adventures. April’s Journey is a lot more somber. We have April meeting Julio as war has torn them from their homes. It is sad, but not depressing, and this is partly because the illustrations are giving hope. 
When an artist can use their signature style for two different stories (one humor, one serious) and both work, that’s when I really get into their work. I like the cuteness, the soft colors, the pops of colors, the details or lack thereof to create the mood. Overall, one is funny because of text and art, the other is not as harsh because of how (frankly) poetic the text and art is. Most ages can read or have The Princess Away Beyond the Mountains read to them despite the illustrator (though I would hate to see the knights get their come-uppence by another artist) But April’s Journey becomes accessible to most ages because of the sweetness of showing hope.
