This is a classic "happily ever after" fairy tale with a twist. It's more focus on their characters (kindness, generosity, bravery) that the sailor and the princess fall in love with. Added in the mix is a challenges that will keep them apart to make the story more exciting. I haven't read this kind of story for a while as an ARC reader and reviewer. Glad that this came to me to enjoy and hopefully share to my daughter. In the meantime, this is good book but I wish they would have elaborate more than giving a quick ending. Nevertheless, I like this one.

Stunning illustrations!

I love the art in the book, its colorful and the blues in particular pop out a lot. The font is also quirky and fits the theme and art of the book. I love that the princess is so beautiful and her clothes stand out with vibrant pops of color.

The story is simple and easy to follow, it would make for a good group reading while showing children the photos. Theres multiculturalism, in which we see parts of India, as well as South America with accurate representations of its people and places. We also get to see a child in a wheelchair. All of these images would make for good discussions with children so they can be introduced to different people and places.

I would say the story is of least interest to me, but it doesn't show a damsel in distress which is a fresh take. It does demonstrate kindness, as well as loyalty by having the prince and princess wait for each other and even write letters to stay in contact. Those are good values to show children, in a day and age where people don't respect one another.

Overall, good read and age appropriate.

This is a very cute story about a Sailor who meets a girl and is enchanted by the kindness she shows to everyone around her. After spending a magical day together, they fall in love, and he learns she is a princess. He has to leave due to a storm and other responsibilities, but he promises to come back for her when he can. He encounters challenges along the way that he must overcome, but he keeps his promise and returns for the princess so that they can get married. I enjoyed the emphasis on kindness, keeping promises, and working hard to help people. The illustrations are fantastic!

The Sailor and the Princess is a charming and imaginative children’s book, perfect for a soft and cozy reading moment.

The story follows a sailor who falls in love with a girl during his travels, not knowing at first that she is the Princess of India. It has that classic fairytale feeling, with a touch of adventure and a focus on love, kindness, and staying true to your promises.

As the story unfolds, there’s a feeling of adventure and devotion, with distance, challenges, and determination playing a role in bringing them back together.

The illustrations are really cute and vibrant, bringing the story to life with beautiful colors and subtle cultural elements inspired by India. They add a lot of warmth and make the whole book feel even more magical.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a perfect introduction story before we get into chapter books about princess's, and romance. This was about a sailor who fell in love with a girl to find out she was a Indian Princess and he did everything he could to get back to her. The illustrations were beautiful. The storyline was simple to follow but had a lot of build-up and depth. I think this is perfect to read to little ones but a great starter for those early readers.

This story is reminiscent of all the fairytales you would read at a young age about princesses. It's a beautiful story about how a sailor fell in love with a girl in India. He fell in love with her kindness and beauty. Unbeknownst to him, she is actually the princess of India. They spend the most magical day together, then he has to leave. He vows to come back to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. He's traveled to other places, but despite the distance, he still thinks of her. He sails back with his crew to protect and defend India from pirates. Through a few mishaps, he finally finds a way back to his princess and he moves forward with what he promised and marries her. Two souls, pure of heart and incredibly thoughtful and caring, they get their happily ever after. This may just be the type of story that piques your interest in romance at a young age! It's the type of story that stays with you and years down the line, you will think back and remember that this particular story was the one that got you into all those romance novels! Thank you Indigo River Publishing, Joe Kenny, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book 30/150 for the year. 4 star read. Releases 05/19/2026.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Indigo River Publishing, and the author Joe Kenny for access to this ARC.

This Charming Book follows a sailor who falls in love with a Princess due to her kindness. It is a rather sweet story the teaches the lessons of Kindness and sacrifice for the ones we love. The book had a cultural element to it as the Princess was from India. As a result, the reader learns slightly about Indian customs. The illustrations were beautifully done and vibrant with the colors that often appear within Indian culture. The only drawback of this book is that the typeface on some of the pages obscures the text making it hard to read and hard to focus on. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book enthusiastically.

This was an incredibly illustrated and imaginative read. As a romance lover from a very early age, I would've swooned over this book for sure! For its demographic, it remained engaging with new obstacles and shared a wide range of great principles like kindness, problem-solving, courage, and passion.

I'm not 100% knowledgable on the average reading level for each age group, but some words used seem fairly advanced for how straight forward the writing is, but maybe that was intentional or more appropriate than my assumption.

I really loved this one — I would definitely have it in my classroom for my romance lovers. Bonus points for diversity! (I'm from Canada, so there are not very many children's books I've seen that take place in India.)

A cute children’s book about bravery, and love. Going above and beyond for the people you love! I loved the vibrant pages and art work! Perfect for children

This was such a lovely book, the ultimate happily-ever-after fairy tale.

The illustrations are full of beautifully vibrant, warm colors that were such a pleasure to look at. The inclusivity in the illustrations was also a wonderful touch, particularly the representation of a child using a wheelchair

About:
The story follows a kind and caring princess in India and a sailor who is drawn to her generosity. They fall in love, but he must leave, promising to return and marry her. Despite the obstacles in his way, he is determined to reunite with her.

I especially loved that the story featured an interracial romance and thoughtfully wove in cultural elements, like their meeting in a spice garden and the princess gifting the sailor cinnamon sticks.
Another highlight for me was that the princess didn’t need saving - she was strong and capable in her own right.

Overall I thought this was a lovely story!

Thank you Net Galley and Indigo River Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for an early digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I am by no means the target demographic (31 years YOUNG!), but I still had a really fun time reading this story.

This book is absolutely perfect for readers of all ages, but I really do think that the kids especially will love this one!

The art style is absolutely stunning, the characters felt so real and were fun to read about, and the book while being only 34 pages definitely has its share of both fun and adventure.

I highly recommend this book and I hope that if you do read it, that you enjoyed it as much as I did!

A cute story about boy meets girl, boy discovers she's royal, sets off to win her parents hearts so they can marry. Not a new story but it was sweet all the same. Definite win for this book for me was the illustrations, some of them were simpl gorgeous.

This is an adorable children’s book that depicts unwavering love from the sailor for his princess. My daughter really enjoyed this book while I read it aloud to her.

Thank you NetGalley, Joe Kenny & Indigo River Publishing

I used this to practice translating into Spanish.
Interestingly enough--this reminded me a lot of the Alchemist. The values are similar and I drew parallels to the boy's passage through the desert. Very cute though!

What a fun book! My kids have asked to read it over and over again. A really catchy storyline, and brightly covered pictures. Just a really cute book for kids.

This was such a sweet and uplifting read. The Sailor and the Princess tells the story of two very different characters who are determined to make their way to each other, no matter what stands in the way. It’s all about love, resilience, and not giving up—even when things feel impossible.

What I really liked is that the princess isn’t written as someone who needs saving. She’s strong, spirited, and right there alongside the sailor, facing challenges together. It gives it a more modern, empowering feel while still keeping that classic fairytale charm.

I also really appreciated the inclusivity in the illustrations. Seeing children in wheelchairs naturally included was such a beautiful touch—it matters, and it’s not something you always see enough of in kids’ books.

The adventure keeps it engaging, and the message about kindness and perseverance comes through in a simple, meaningful way.

I read this with my four-year-old, and she really enjoyed it—she gave it 4 stars, and I’d agree.