Pistes d'exploration

Why do you think the king gave up his throne? Would you have made the same decision? Discuss the pros and cons of living as royalty. Learn about King Edward VIII and his abdication.

List the fairy tales referred to in the story. What other fictional princess characters resemble Paulina? Discuss the characteristics that make Paulina both princessy and unprincessy.

What did Paulina learn about herself during the process of applying to become a princess bride? How was she resilient? Why did she refuse to marry the prince? 

Write about why you would or would not like to be a prince or princess.

Use a graphic organizer to compare Princess Paulina to other princesses. How is she the same? Different? 

In order to become prince Drupert’s wife, contestants must compete against each other. With a partner, devise new challenges for them.

Would Prince Drupert make a good husband? Prepare an advertisement for him on the special prince/princess website, with facts from the book. Prepare an ad for Paulina as well.

Invent your own creative pizza menu. 

The Paper Bag Princess

Mots-clés

Picture book , characters in fairy tales , deconstructing stereotypes , fairy tale adaptations , fractured stories , independence , Princess and the Pea , princesses , surprise endings

Commentaire descriptif

Princess Paulina has had to live in a humble shack ever since her father relinquished the throne in order to take up woodcarving. She misses “princessing”: walking the peacock in the royal garden, surveying the kingdom from a tower. When Queen Zelda goes looking for a princess to marry her son, Prince Drupert, Paulina leaps at the chance. Three tasks later, she is the chosen one, but in a surprise ending, she decides to go her own way, after all. This send-up of fairy tales is told in a wry, witty tone with a dose of self-referential humour. When her first task is to sleep on a bed 16 mattresses high, Paulina sassily responds with, “Oh, for Pete’s sake, the old princess-and-the-pea trick. That’s so once-upon-a-time.” Readers may also recognize her co-competitors, such as the one with seven little men in tow. Colourful illustrations are a combination of painted scenes and computer-generated details. Wonderful facial expressions show the big-footed princess trying to squeeze into a glass slipper and the conniving Rapunzel tripping Paulina with her braid. The final task – cooking – proves difficult. With few ingredients, she ends up creating a pizza, much to the delight of the overbearing Queen and her drippy son Drupert. Paulina celebrates her talents by opening her very own Pizza Palace.