The Book
Munsch, R. & Martchenko, M. (Illus.). (1980). The Paper Bag Princess. Toronto, ON: Annick Press Ltd.
Read by Robert Munsch. Retrieved from http://robertmunsch.com/the-paper-bag-princess/
Summary
The Paper Bag Princess is a not your typical fairytale. In this fairytale the roles are reversed and it is the princess who rescues the prince. The main character in this story is Princess Elizabeth and at first it seems that she has it all. She is beautiful, lives in a castle, has expensive clothes and even has a prince to marry. Then suddenly, a dragon attacks the castle and she loses almost everything. The dragon destroys the castle, burns all her clothes and kidnaps the prince. Instead of crying she gets angry and springs into action. She looks everywhere for something to wear, but all she could find was an old paper bag. Elizabeth then puts on the paper bag and sets out to rescue the prince. She follows the trail left by the dragon and eventually finds his cave. The dragon tells her to come back tomorrow as he is busy and quite full. Elizabeth uses this to her advantage and devises a plan to outsmart the dragon. She ends up using her wits and flattery to constantly ask the dragon to show her all the cool things he can do. Once the dragon has shown her everything she has asked he ends up being so tired he can't even talk. Elizabeth then takes this opportunity to go into the cave to rescue Prince Ronald. However, the prince is far from grateful as he is shocked to see her all dirty and wearing only a paper bag. Instead of thanking her he tells her to come back when she looks like a real princess. Elizabeth then states that he looks like a real prince but he's really a bum. They do not end up getting married after all as she leaves him and skips off into the sunset alone.
Response
I have always loved this book, it's been one of my favourites since I was a child. I love how it is not a typical traditional fairytale as in this story it's the princess that's the hero not the prince. It's a really empowering book for girls as it shows them that girls are not always damsels in distress and don't always need to be rescued, but that boys need to be rescued sometimes too. It's great as it shows that you don't need a prince and pretty clothes to succeed in life. That it is good character that matters most and if the prince (boy) does not accept this they are not worth your time. Good character is much more important than beauty and riches. Elizabeth is a great role model for young girls as she is smart, self-assured and strong. I remember being mad at how ungrateful the prince was, here Elizabeth had gone through all the trouble to save him and all he has to say are rude comments about her looks. I'm glad she ended up leaving him in the end as her strong character shines once again. I remember thinking how did everything burn except a paper bag? I'm still wondering this but that is not the point of the story. I loved Robert Munsch's reading of this story. He's so hilarious and I love how he accents certain parts of the story while reading. I would definitely recommend this book and I think both boys and girls would enjoy Munsch's reading of it. Although I think it is aimed more towards a girl audience I think boys could learn a little from it. I think some may even enjoy it as although it is backwards from traditional fairytales there is still action, a hero, and a dragon. It would be great to use in a class for a novel study, read aloud or in a thematic unit. It could also be used for a discussion on conflict resolution, bravery and determination.
Awards received/Reader's advisory information
I am unsure if this book has won any awards. The themes in this book are role-reversal, stereotyping, conflict resolution, bravery, fantasy, choices, and self-esteem. I think this book is appropriate for children 3-8 or preschool to grade 3. It could be used as a read aloud book for younger children and as a free reading book for older children.
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