The Princess Elizabeth is slated to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps Ronald. In resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth finds the dragon, outsmarts him, and rescues Ronald --- who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance. Full color throughout.
Elizabeth, a beautiful princess, lives in a castle and wears fancy clothes. Just when she is about to marry Prince Ronald, a dragon smashes her castle, burns her clothes with his fiery breath, and prince-naps her dear Ronald. Undaunted and presumably unclad, she dons a large paper bag and sets off to find the dragon and her cherished prince. Once she's tracked down the rascally reptile, she flatters him into performing all sorts of dragonly stunts that eventually exhaust him, allowing her to rescue Prince Ronald. But what does Prince Not-So-Charming say when he sees her? "You smell like ashes, your hair is all tangled and you are wearing a dirty old paper bag. Come back when you are dressed like a real princess." (At least he has the courtesy not to mention that the princess's crown resembles a dying sea anemone.) In any case, let's just say that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Ronald do not, under any circumstances, live happily ever after. Canadian author Robert Munsch celebrates feisty females everywhere with this popular favorite, and Michael Martchenko's scratchy, comical, pen-and-ink drawings capture the tongue-in-cheek quality of this read-aloud crowd pleaser. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A must for any girl's library:
The Paper Bag Princess, by Robert Munsch, is a must for any girl's library. On the first page, we are introduced to Elizabeth, a princess who lives in a castle with expensive princess clothes, who is going to marry a prince named Ronald. Then comes the shocker on the next page: "Unfortunately, a dragon smashed her castle, burned all of her clothes with his fiery breath, and carried off Prince Ronald." Princess Elizabeth has to wear a paper bag as she goes off to rescue her prince. For most of the book,... more info
Paper Bag Princess:
Fabulous and empowering in a not so subtle way...perfect for little girls. Only negative, lacked story development.
A story to pass down!:
My mother bought this story for me in 1995. I used it originally for a story telling speech tournament which I won first place for. She then kept the book until I had my own daughter 2 years ago. My daughter LOVES this book, I'm thinking if I should have it laminated. It is her "princess book". She loves this book so much she is going to be a dragon for halloween! (interesting that she chose to be a dragon and not a princess) We rotate this book with about 5 other Robert Munsch books she adores!
A True Princess:
Ah, the original anti-princess story that would leave behind it a long legacy of girls inspired by a princess who wears a brown paper bag and defeats a dragon and a snotty prince because, hey, she is female and therefore awesome enough to take care of herself and rescue her brat of a prince. The writing is quick, simple, and utterly charming, perfect companion to our princess. There even manages to be some character development (do we not see our girl simpering over the prince in the first page?)more info
