Hi, I'm Denene Millner, Director of the Denene Millner Books and
Print at Simon and Schuster.
And I'm so pleased to read to you, my book, The Fresh Princess.
I was inspired by the iconic character, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
as played by Will Smith, who partnered with me to write this book.
Here we go.
The Fresh Princess by Denene Millner,
and pictures by Gladys Jose.
[MUSIC]
This is Destiny.
Her dad calls her Princess, his fresh princess.
[MUSIC]
Destiny likes a lot of things that princesses like.
Poofy dresses and sparkly shoes, shiny crowns,
her princess throne, and her loyal subjects too.
[MUSIC]
She's also really good at being really fresh.
That means she's brave, has her own style, and is super smart.
She shines like a new penny.
And most days, being fresh is a good thing.
But when Destiny's big sister Marley teaches her how to double dutch, and
destiny jumps and trips and struggles and
jumps back in again, cool as she pleases until she's got it licked.
[MUSIC]
Today, fresh princess is not feeling fresh at all.
That's because her family is moving to a new house and the new city.
It is far away from everyone she knows and everything she loves.
Destiny is not happy about that.
[MUSIC]
Her dad tries to make it all better, that's his thing.
Boo boos and bandaids, belly aches get soft rubs.
And sleepyheads gets good night kisses.
This day, getting back to feeling joyful takes way more work.
Her heart will need more to fill in the empty spaces, where her happy used to be.
[MUSIC]
Destiny perks up a little bit when she sees her new room.
It has potential, she says to herself.
She imagines the magnificent cities she'll build there,
the fancy luncheon she'll host,
and the new throne that will be the centerpiece of her new castle.
[MUSIC]
Destiny finds a new favorite place where the daylight greets her every morning and
the stars winked her each night.
She perks up a little more when she looks outside.
Destiny listens to the rhymes as the double dutch
rope skips a beat across the concrete.
Blue bells, cockle shells, evie ivy over.
The jumpers swing their hips and watch the ropes, then they turn and take flight.
Destiny thinks it might be fun to jump in, but those kids, they are good,
really good, so for now, she just watches.
[MUSIC]
Her dad wants to help his fresh princess feel at home, so
he invites her on a big adventure.
One of his favorite things to do when he was a kid
in his neighborhood was to ride the L train.
Speeding at the top of the city made me feel like the king of the world, dad says.
Let's go see your new kingdom.
[MUSIC]
Madame, your royal carriage.
Destiny takes dad's hand climbs the steps and
presses down the aisle to her royal seat.
She giggles as the train picks up speed, whistling and
worrying through West Philadelphia.
[MUSIC]
Along the way Destiny's dad points out love letters tucked on the buildings,
rooftops and spines.
Keep your head to the sky fresh princess, he says as they roll along by.
Destiny waves and blows kisses as the building salute her passing by.
She does love what she sees, but still, she aches for home
[MUSIC]
Back at their new place, the kids are playing double dutch again.
One of the girls flashes a smile and invites her to join.
Destiny says, no, thanks.
She's not ready for her public, not yet, maybe soon.
Why you're not playing double dutch, ask Marley.
You're just as good a jumper as anybody here, she says with a smile.
But what if I fall flat on my face, ask Destiny?
It wouldn't be the first time, plus you'd just be back up,
you're the first princess.
Destiny thinks about this and realizes she can do it.
So she grabs her sparkly sneakers and decides to get out there and
show them how it's done.
[MUSIC]
Can you jump?
Asks, one of the girls.
She says her name is Mari.
Destiny gives a small yes.
Come chat with us says Mari.
Mari introduces Destiny to the block.
There is Shani and Esete, Zoe and Zion, Miles and two Lilas.
Finally, it's her go.
Destiny takes her place next to the ropes, as the turner swing their arms.
Cinderella dressed in yellow went upstairs to kiss her fella.
Destiny takes a deep breath, swings her lips to the beat.
And like the fresh princess she jumps in.
And the happiness she feels in this very moment jumping high and
feeling free, surrounded by her new friends is the freshest of all.
I hope you enjoyed the Fresh Princess.
[MUSIC]