Recently I put together a knights and princesses themed storytime and rediscovered this book. The illustrations are classic Tomie DePaola. The people...moreRecently I put together a knights and princesses themed storytime and rediscovered this book. The illustrations are classic Tomie DePaola. The people are small and round and there’s nothing scary about this dragon. The first half of the book alternates between the knight and dragon. Many of the pages are divided into smaller panels (rather like a comic strip) that show how the knight and dragon are progressing in their studies. The simple text is extremely minimal, some pages are completely wordless, however the illustrations are detailed (but not at all busy. DePaola is a master of simplicity).
There’s nothing like a liberated and independent princess to make my day! And Princess Elizabeth, aka the Paper Bag Princess, is nothing if not libera...moreThere’s nothing like a liberated and independent princess to make my day! And Princess Elizabeth, aka the Paper Bag Princess, is nothing if not liberated and independent.
Besides being one of the pluckiest princesses in picture book history, I adore the fact that the Elizabeth does not wear pink, nor does she look like a sparkle monster threw up on her. It’s not that I hate the color pink or sparkles it’s just that they seem to have taken over picture books. It’s refreshing to see story about a princess that emphasizes her intellect rather than her beauty.
Developed by Munsch while he was a preschool teacher, this story is perfect for kids around that age. The story moves along quickly with just 2 or 3 sentences a page. The emphasis is on the action and dialogue rather than the description, which makes it a fun book to read aloud because you can use different voices for each character. The illustrations are done in pen and ink with moderate use of color. Like the text the pictures are straight forward, they aren’t complex and they don’t assault your eyes with splashy colors.
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