Princess Stories

"Every little girl is a princess, and there would be no need to say anything about it, except that she is always in danger of forgetting her rank, and behaving as if she had grown out of the mud. I have seen little princesses behave like children of thieves and lying beggars, and that is why they need to be told they are princesses."
George MacDonaldThe Princess and the Goblin

The ideal of the "princess" has been romanticized throughout literary history, sometimes to the point of absurdity. In popular culture, this has manifested itself primarily in two (harmful) trends. One portrays a princess as a stunningly beautiful woman whose life only begins when all her problems are solved by the appearance of Prince Charming and the other tries to overturn that trend by portraying an equally beautiful woman who gets everything she wants when she rebels against her parents or societal norms.

These are obviously not the kind of stories you want your daughters to be reading, but that's not to say you should throw out princess stories altogether. Princesses exemplify femininity in a way that is appealing to (and good for) girls of all ages, and there are books out there that accurately portray this.

Take the story of Cinderella, for example. She did all of the cooking, cleaning, washing, and sewing for an entire household—without a word of complaint. Sara Crewe gave to the poor even when she was the poorest she'd ever been. Princess Irene was brave in the face of great danger. Addie faced her worst fears to save her sister.

And you can't neglect stories about real princesses (and queens) alongside the fictional ones. Women like Pocahontas, Ka'iulani, or Elizabeth may not have stories as magical as those of Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, but they also exhibit the kindness and fearlessness of a true princess.

Because, ultimately, a true princess should be defined by behavior, not by birth. Stories about brave and selfless women who care about others and are willing to do the right thing, no matter the cost, are the kinds of princesses worth reading about—and hopefully the kind that girls will grow up to be.

Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time.
You can read more of her reviews here.

 

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Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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by written by Marianna Mayer, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Beauty and the Beast
by Jan Brett
from Sandpiper Books
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$7.99
Beauty and the Beast
by M. Charlotte Craft, K. Y. Craft
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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$19.99
Cinderella
by Marcia Brown (translator)
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Cinderella
by K. Y. Craft
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Cinderella
by David Delamare
from Simon and Schuster
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Cinderella
by Paul Galdone
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
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by Jane Yolen
from Putnam Juvenile
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1968 Caldecott Honor Book
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Fairy Tale Set #1
by K. Y. Craft, Illustrator
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by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
from HarperCollins
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$8.99
King Midas and the Golden Touch
by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
from William Morrow & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
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Light Princess (adapted)
by George MacDonald, adapted by Robin McKinley and illustrated by Katie Thamer Treherne
from Harcourt Children's Books
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by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Charles Santore
First Edition from Gramercy Books
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from Atheneum
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39th Printing, December 2000 from Annick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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by Shirley Climo & Robert Florczak
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from North-South Books
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A Classic Illustrated Ed, from Chronicle Books
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Snow Princess
by Ruth Sanderson
from Crocodile Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$17.95
Snow White
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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Snow White
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Random House
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
by Wanda Gag
from University of Minnesota
for Preschool-2nd grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Bess Livings
from Laughing Elephant
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
by Wanda Gag
from Smithmark Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
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Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm
by Brothers Grimm, translated by Randall Jarrell and illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert
Sunburst Edition, 1987 from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1973 Caldecott Honor Book
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Reprint from Crocodile Books
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by Ai-Ling Louie
from Puffin Books
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)