PRIDE MONTH 2026! Giving space to relevant illustrated children’s books always seems vitally important as part of our annual Pride Month celebrations here at Broken Frontier. Especially at a time in the UK when Pride celebrations are being suppressed by right-wing councils and library provision is being scrutinised by anti-progressive authorities. Kids literature that provides positive stories of queer lives needs all the more in the way of amplification right now and we’ve never been shy of taking a stand on that front here at BF.
Which brings us to today’s subject of coverage – Princess Pete, written by Zoey Allen and illustrated by Frenci Sanna. Princess Pete is an eloquently simple story about personal expression and gender freedom in which the title character – a young child named Pete – talks about their home life, their friendships and their perspective on the world. Pete’s non-binary perspective means that sometimes they see themselves as a prince and sometimes as a princess. Because, of course, from a child’s eye view of the world gender is a construct that is very easily ignored.
Allen’s story is witty and sweet, framing its subject matter in terms that its intended audience (of 3 to 6-year-olds) can easily understand. Indeed there’s a beautiful clarity to these pages that communicates Princess Pete’s message with an articulacy that will encourage both the children the book is aimed at and their parents as to the importance of unrestrained personal expression.
Frenci Sanna’s art is lively and vibrantly coloured throughout. As I’ve mentioned before recently at Broken Frontier there seems to be a notable move in children’s illustration towards work that is at least comics-adjacent. There are certainly sequential sequences within Princess Pete, with the most impressive being a page where Pete pushes and stretches the boundaries of shaped panels to reflect their rejection of easily defined ideas of gender.
If we are to continue moving forwards in accepting that our traditional understanding of gender as a binary is a flawed one then books like this are crucial in exploring and explaining that reality to younger readers. Princess Pete is an absolute delight.
Zoey Allen (W), Frenci Sanna (A) • Walker Books, £7.99
Review by Andy Oliver
