Princess Tiana’s real-life voice just added a new title to the shelf. Anika Noni Rose’s picture book A Princess Is a Princess hit shelves today from Disney Hyperion, and this one is not a Tiana story. It is a message for any kid who has ever wondered if they fit the mold.
Illustrated by Jessica Gibson, the 40-page book is written in rhyme and aimed at readers ages 3 to 5. The through line is simple and repeated throughout: a princess is a princess no matter her mood, her manners, or the size of her crown. The cast includes kids of different abilities, skin tones, and personalities, from a child feeling grumpy to one feeling joyful, with one spread specifically following a character working through a low moment and finding the courage to try again.
A princess is a princess no matter the time of day.
A princess is a princess no matter what they say.
Her worth isn’t measured by the size of her crown.
Even if she’s acting silly or her smile is upside down.
This is Rose’s second picture book. Her first, Tiana’s Perfect Plan, came out through Disney Hyperion in 2024 and followed the character directly, with Rose describing it as a personal project built around her own struggles with perfectionism. Rose has voiced Tiana since 2009’s The Princess and the Frog and was named a Disney Legend in 2011, and readers who have ridden through her story at Magic Kingdom already know how deep that connection runs, whether it is the full story behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or the Easter eggs hidden throughout the queue.
A Princess Is a Princess by: Anika Noni Rose
Our Take: Stepping outside the Tiana brand for this one is the right call. A message book about self acceptance does not need a crown or a bayou to land, and letting the theme stand on its own probably reaches more kids than another straight tie in would have. Plus, everyone can be a princess!
