Fiction (Fantasy): The Paper Bag Princess


The fiction book I selected falls under the subgenre of fantasy and is titled The Paper Bag Princess. This fantasy children’s book was written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko. The story begins by introducing a princess named Elizabeth who had expensive princess clothes and  was going to marry a prince named Ronald. However, a dragon came and burned all her clothes and took Prince Ronald. Elizabeth then puts on a paper bag and finds the dragon to save Prince Ronald. Elizabeth outwits the dragon, but when Prince Ronald sees her wearing a paper bag he tells her to come back once she is dressed like a “real princess.” Elizabeth then leaves Prince Ronald and they do not get married after all.

As previously mentioned this book is considered a fantasy. For instance, the setting is believable for the reader and makes logical sense within the story (i.e. castles and the dragon cave). The plot of the story also makes logical sense; the dragon takes Prince Ronald so it makes that Elizabeth would go to save him. Also, the characters, specifically Elizabeth, change across the story. For example, at the beginning of the story she wants to marry Prince Ronald, but at the end of the story she decides not to marry him because of how he responded to her paper bag dress. The style of the author is light throughout the story, but keeps the readers interested with the character development of Elizabeth. This also relates to the theme of the book, which encourages us to change our perspective on princes and princesses norms.

This story challenges the stereotypical norm that the prince needs to save the princess and also that females may choose not to marry. Therefore related to the six elements of social justice curriculum this could be an opportunity to raise awareness to ‘Social Injustice’ specifically related to sexism. This story provides opportunities for students to being to think differently about outcomes and also to see males and females as equals.

In my future classroom, I would use this book as a creative writing activity. I would read the story along with another story where the prince saves the princess. I would then lead a discussion and record my students responses using a Venn Diagram chart to compare the two stories. Afterwards, I would ask students to write about what they think happens next after Princess Elizabeth left Prince Ronald. Did she rebuild her castle and replace all her expensive clothes? Did she start a paper bag dress clothing line? This activity would allow students to continue to consider other possible outcomes for stories and challenge stereotypical gender norms.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drama: I Really Like Slop!

Image
The drama book I selected is titled I Really Like Slop! written and illustrated by Mo Willems. This book is one of many ‘Elephant and Piggie Books’ where these friends go on many different adventures together! In I Really Like Slop! Piggie is trying to convince Gerald (the elephant) to try their favorite food: slop. Gerald is hesitate because of how the slop looks and the smell. At first Gerald refuses to try the slop, but once he sees that Piggie’s feeling are hurt, he changes his mind and tries a very small taste. When Piggie asks if he liked it, Gerald answers honestly by saying, “No, but I am glad I tried it. Because I really like you.” I Really Like Slop! is a great mini-drama that young readers will love. The story is told completely told through the dialogue between both characters. On each page Gerald and Piggie have dialogue bubbles that are also color coded (i.e. Piggies’ dialogue bubbles are pink and Gerald’s are grey) so readers are able to easily recognize wh...
Read more

Drama: Tales from Shakespeare

Image
Tales from Shakespeare, edited and illustrated by Marcia Williams provides a fun and exciting new approach to Shakespeare that makes it more accessible to students while keeping much of the original language. Williams has adapted and abridged 7 different classic Shakespeare plays (Julius Cesar, MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Winer's Tale, Hamlet, and the Tempest) into a graphic novel. She kept all of the original dialogue in Old English on the comics themselves while adding in descriptions of the actions in modern English under each frame to help readers follow along with the story. Additionally, the borders of each page contain commentary from minor characters expressing their concerns and disbelief at the events happening on each page. This book can be a great way to help introduce reluctant readers to Shakespeare as it presents it in a more friendly and comical way, providing scaffolding through narration and illustration, while still present...
Read more