A refreshing change of perspective
Review of "Miss Prim Goes Wild" by Katy Rose.
Miss Prim Goes Wild
By Katie Rose
Illustrated by Thai My Phuong
WaterBrook, 2025
“Miss Prim had been called all kinds of things – precise, punctual, and practical. Sometimes even stern, strict, and scary. But never welcoming or whimsical, and certainly not wild. Miss Prim believed in no-nonsense.” So begins author Katy Rose’s playful, lyrical introduction to Miss Prim, a controlling, grouchy woman who terrifies neighborhood children with threats of discipline for minor infractions, doing everything in her power to subdue “nature’s shenanigans.” Each day she snips unruly grass, pulls annoying wildflowers and scares away birds and bees.
All seems according to plan till winter arrives and Miss Prim is injured by falling on ice. Sadly, no one dares help the ill-tempered woman. For months, she convalesces alone.
One day, she hears noises at her window. Flinging back the curtains, she screams in horror: “Something was wildly wrong! Spring had sprung, and Miss Prim had not been there to stop it. It was a nature invasion.” Undeterred, she resolves to conquer the mayhem.
But then she begins to see the created world in a different light and, to her surprise, “nature’s nonsense” no longer bothers her. As her connection to nature changes, so does her relationship to neighborhood children she once intimidated and pushed away. Now, she invites them to see and enjoy her garden.
Illustrator Thai My Phuong’s humorous, lively artwork and author Katy Rose’s amusing, vocabulary-rich narrative will entertain young children and subtly show that relationships with people and God’s created world are more important than attaining perfection and control.
