Diana: The People's Princess

Diana: The People's Princess

A biography of the Princess of Wales beginning with her childhood and including her death in 1997 From School Library Journal Grade 3-5?Since Diana's death, numerous biographies have been written about her. This one is particularly useful for this age range. Chapters are short?each covers a double-page spread. Large, colorful, well-captioned photographs abound. Trivia is offered up in colorful sideboxes throughout the text. Starting with her birth, the book gives evidence that the princess led a sad, if charmed, life. The author does take some liberties?Diana's feelings are mentioned ("she felt abandoned and helpless") without citing sources. The book is pro-Diana to a fault, even showing a captioned picture of her "winning" a school race, when other sources claim she came in second. A superfluous glossary and useful list for further reading are appended. A chronology includes an entry for 1990 stating that Diana was "photographed looking sad and lonely while in India." Didn't anything more significant happen that year? Throughout, the princess's concern for humanity shines through. Marc Cerasini's Diana (Random, 1997) offers much of the same information for a slightly older crowd. Select Wood's book wherever there is interest.?Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.