The Paper Bag Princess

Author: Robert Munsch

Illustrator: Michael Martchenko

Year Published: 1980

The Gist of It: After her castle and clothes are destroyed by a dragon, Princess Elizabeth, dressed in a paper bag, sets out to rescue Prince Ronald, who was taken captive - who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance.

I like the moral of the story, that there is more to someone than their looks (even princesses) and that girls can be the hero of the story, too. However, there are several things I didn't like about this book. Number one: if Elizabeth's clothes got burned off in the fire, why did Ronald look so clean? Number two: Elizabeth had the dragon burn down 150 forests while she was tricking him, without worrying about anyone else was going to get hurt by this. The illustration is nice with a lot of vibrant colors and Elizabeth before and after the fire is well done; but, it is nothing special, with the exception to the dragon's fire which I think has a great look.

On the Bookshelf? I'll pass. While I like the overall message of the book, there are others that show it better, without the heroine doing heroic things because of a boy.