Review: The Paper Bag Princess

There's no doubt that princesses are popular among many, many little girls and boys. I'm not sure it took me so long to realize this, but Ariel, from my beloved childhood movie Little Mermaid, isn't much of a role model for girls, or for anybody really. She's spunky, but her life kind of happens to her. Some of the latter day Disney princesses, like Tiana and Rapunzel, have more going for them, but there's still a lot of room for dialogue about how these stories affect our children. And there's still room for improvement. As a parent, I have attempted to find the middle ground. I allow my children unfettered access to most everything princess, but make sure I also offer up royal-themed books and media that will challenge their hearts and minds, like Laurel Snyder's Up and Down Scratchy Mountain and Phillipe Lerchermeier's The Secret Lives of Princesses.

Before princess ubiquity had risen to unprecedented levels, and before princess backlash was even really a thing, there was Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess. This is a simple but powerful story about a girl named Elizabeth who outsmarts a nasty dragon and pretty much everyone else she encounters. She doesn't need a prince or a knight in shining armor. She uses her wits and she rescues herself. It was originally published in 1980, when I was but a wee girl, myself. It has recently been released in the Kindle format.

I love the illustrations. I love the "message" and the fact that it's there, but it's understated. Elizabeth is a paper bag princess because her original dress got burned up. No big. She can still do what she needs to do to get along, and with aplomb. My girls, ages 3 and 6, really enjoy this book. I am an unabashed fan of Kindle editions when they are available. I love the touch and feel of a "real" book, but as a slightly scatterbrained mom of 3, I love to have books available at a few clicks when we're on vacation or in a doctor's office, and I love books that I can't step on or spill my coffee on. This book is currently very affordable in a Kindle edition so it might be a good time to add it to your collection.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Review: Princess Addison Gets Angry

Some books come along at just the right time. That's what happened for me when I had a chance to read and review Molly Martin's new picture book, Princess Addison Gets Angry.

Addison is a princess. She appears to live a pretty sweet life that includes a king and queen for parents, butlers to do whatever butlers do, nice friends, and a couple of friendly dogs for pets. However, even princesses can have a bad day. On a sad day when it's raining and Princess Addison can't go out and pick flowers, she throws one heck of a tantrum. Her mom is there for her, both to comfort her and to set some parameters on how to deal with all of those big feelings without hurting someone else.

This book spoke to me because I have a lovely, spirited three year old in my life who can also throw one heck of a tantrum. As her mom, the things that upset her don't always make sense to me, but I know they are important to her. I've been struggling with how to get through to her for a while. I sat her down to read the book with me and she instantly mad a connection with Addison. We talked about Addison's anger, about the expressions on her face, and what a bummer it is when you want to do something and forever whatever reason, you just can't. My three year old LOVED this book and asked me to read it to her several times in a row.

The best thing about this book is that it has made a positive impact on our life. I initially thought the book was too instructive for my taste, but I'm really impressed with the way this book reached my daughter. I was able to reference it during a future tantrum and she drew from some of Addison's mom's advice. It actually diffused the situation. I'm not going to complain about that, so I will declare this book a winner for me. I would recommend it to a parent of a 2-4 year old who is looking for a simple, easy-to-understand book about the emotion of anger.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. 

Welcome and about me.

Hi, and thanks for coming to the Just Peachy Book Review blog!

My name is Blair, and I review books. Until recently I've been a casual reviewer on GoodReads, but I have a goal of reading more this year and I think that reviewing more books will keep me on the ball.

I'm a mom of three young children in Atlanta, Georgia. Their current ages are 6.5 years, 3 years, and 6 months. Time flies when you're having fun, and we have lots of fun! All of my children love being active--at home, building pillow forts; outdoors in our backyard and community; and as part of a church family and other organizations like Girl Scouts of America--and they all love to read and/or be read to. My oldest is an independent reader, but also enjoys reading out loud with Mom or Dad. My middle is loves to be read to and often wants to hear the same book over and over again. My littlest one has a developmentally-appropriate attention span of about 15 seconds, but he'll get there. In our family, my husband has started an oral storytelling tradition. He's been telling the Charles Squirrel story at bedtime for four years now, and now my 6 year old sometimes takes a turn telling the story. I hope that tradition lasts a long, long time.

My first love is fiction. I cut my teeth on Ramona Quimby, Pippi Longstocking, and Winnie the Pooh (the lovely A.A. Milne stories). I still love children's lit, and now I love sharing it with my children. I also love modern fiction, biography/memoir and, in recent years, have become enamored with cookbooks.

Wish me luck on this venture. I think I'll need it.