A Princess Smiled is a warm and friendly child's book written by Venessa Ann Schwarz in engaging rhyme, about a town that is feeling blue when a Princess rides through her town and smiles, sharing joy and happiness with everyone. The simple yet personable color illustrations by Mary Ellen Bellido bring to life this uplifting tale about the power of a positive attitude. A Princess Smiled is a wonderful addition to any school or community library picturebook collection.

When I was in high school and college, I wanted nothing more than to travel, see the world, and do some good while I was at it -- and the Peace Corps was easily my first choice. Although I never did actually go through with it, I definitely could've used this book while I was making my decision. The book is basically a collection of personal accounts of former corpsmen (and women) interdispersed with historical clips of the corps since its inception to the book's writing, and provides a much-needed shot of reality to anyone convinced that a life in the Peace Corps matches the experience of Tom Hank's character in that eighties movie _Volunteers_. Not all members lived in huts and taught English to eager, poverty-stricken natives... in fact, some found that they were being used as a diplomatic tool rather than actual help. The descriptions portray the birth of cynicism in a group of often idealistic volunteers who became very disillusioned with a life of doing good in the name of a government that placed them in positions without adequate resources to actually make a difference.