Robert Munsch

On a recent library trip, I discovered a book I had forgotten – The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.  I checked it out and brought it home to read it to my girls.

The first time I heard the book, a friend read it to a group of us after a dinner at her house.  I thought it a bit odd that she pulled out a picture book to read to a group of adults, but after she read it, I understood.

The Paper Bag Princess is about a resourceful princess who rescues her prince from a dragon.  It turns out the prince is a jerk, so the princess decided not to marry him.  It seems pretty simple, but the message is profound – what’s inside counts more than appearances, and bum princes are not worth marrying, even if they look good.

Munsch is a prolific author, having written more than two dozen books.  I’ll Love You Forever is another classic Munsch book – one that always makes me teary when I read it to my children (although I find it a little creepy the mother goes to her adult son’s house to rock him while he sleeps, – but it doesn’t bother my children).

While we haven’t read every single book by Munsch, my children and I have enjoyed every one we have read.