Amazon.com Review
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 --This text refers to the
Library Binding
edition.
Review
In this new board book version, the original story of The Paper Bag Princess is shorter and simplified for preschool readers. Michael Martchenko's original pictures also illustrate the story in this edition for young readers. Munsch's plot and the humour remain intact in this new version, and toddlers will still enjoy the classic lines, "But you are a BUM!" Readers will also take pleasure in the different coloured and sized fonts as well as illustrations within the text which are interspersed throughout the book. This makes telling the story to youngsters fun and also helps emergent readers follow along as they listen to the story. A board book format for this new version is ideal as this is a story which will be read again and again and will be able to last for years of enjoyment. This simplified board book version of The Paper Bag Princess introduces preschoolers to the magical world of stories by Robert Munsch. Like the original, this version will be sure to charm young children and is a must-have for any preschool library. Highly Recommended. (Kristen Ferguson
Canadian Materials 2010-01-08)
Starred Selection (
Canadian Children's Book Centre 2006-01-00)
[Review of earlier edition:] One of the best princess stories ever told, Elizabeth turns the princess stereotype on its head, empowering young girls to be true to themselves. (Elizabeth Shaffer
BC Parent 2005-10-00)
[Review of earlier edition:] A great girl-power story. (Carol Sjostrom Miller
Familyfun 2005-02-00)
[Review of earlier edition:] The tale of a princess who, although faced with adversity, saves the day and wins the prize. A charmingly-illustrated tale of strength for princesses of all ages. (Mari Farthing
MetroFamily Magazine 2010-04-00)
[Review of earlier edition:] Some of the best children's books ever written have been about girls -- like The Paper Bag Princess. (
New York Times)
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