The Paper Princess (Picture Puffins)

My 3.5 year old daughter loves it so much, we've been reading this every night before bed. She's even memorized the words to the first page and many lines from the rest of the book. The illustrations are absolutely, uniquely beautiful. We discover new things in the paintings every time we read this. And my daughter's learning new words and pronunciation of more difficult words (like "crinkly"). The story line is equally beautiful -- not your typical fairy tale princess, or something that was created, fragile, delicate, weak yet confident. I'm ordering other books by Elisa Kleven!

I was searching for a non-princessy princess book for my 3 year old duaghter and came across this one. What a find! The story is touching and sweet. There is none of the materialistic superficial fluff of other princess books. None. Just sweetness. The art is what childhood memories are made of and the story is pure magic. I can't say enough good things about it. My daughter abslolutely loves it. As another reviewer reported, it has sparked a few paper princess making sessions of our own. I think it would make a great gift especially if packaged with a packet of cardstock, scissors, colored pencils, glue, and an assortment of materials for hair.If you're like me (a dad with a princessy girly girl but who gets kind of annoyed with the superficial message of princess culture) then rest assured that this isn't one of *those* books. She's really only a princess in name. No kingdom, no castle, no prince, no exquisite gowns, no ballroom dances,etc. And she's determined, brave, kind, and undaunted. Now THAT'S a princess I can get behind.

I am a huge fan of Elisa Kleven's work, which is always unique, colorful, thought-provoking, and uplifting. Her stories and her illustrations bring wonder and beauty into a child's reading / listening experiences. The pages are full of ideas. When readers / listeners look into the images, they are transported to a magical storybook world that knows no limitations, no boundaries. Though still, the vibrant images convey a real sense of movement, of energy, of life.The Paper Princess offers all of these things and so much more. Starry socks and watermelon shoes---what's not to love about this quirky little paper character who, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, wants to find home. :) I like how the Princess begins her journey "unfinished" because that is a very real human aspect. We are often "unfinished" / "incomplete" when we begin our most important (difficult) life journeys, and through those journeys, we are forever changed, marked, sometimes "crumpled," re-arranged, growing into new versions of ourselves. When we return home, our blank page / side has been filled with new messages, thoughts, sketches, hopes, dreams, understandings.So, with a bald head and a blank back, the Paper Princess is whisked away on an adventure that takes her through many detailed scenes like a meadow, a carnival, a town, a playground, etc. I like how Kleven would show the paper doll's simple blank outline (or portions of it) on some of the most colorful pages; this technique allows children the ability to find her among all the image elements.Teachers and home-schooling parents can use this book to illustrate values such as acceptance, friendship, courage, compassion, confidence, perseverance, hope, love, sharing, and caring. A good conversation / discussion point would be the scene where a little girl throws the Princess away after she had marked her poorly. [Some people in our disposable society are all too quick and willing to get rid of things that displease them, that contain mistakes and flaws, or that seem "ugly" or tarnished. ]This is a fantastic book, in my opinion. I feel like I received my money's worth for the joy it has brought into our house.

Lovely, enchanting story about caring for each other, adventure, helping others, and having confidence that everything will turn out all right, we must believe it. The illustrations are delightful with beautiful, colorful, interesting details.My granddaughter and I love reading this book together, we never tire of it and then we go draw our own paper princesses. A big thank you to Elisa Klevin for creating such thoughtful, sensitive, exciting stories about children and their families and animals!

One of my all-time favorite books ever! Excellent, colorful, richly detailed illustrations throughout.You can buy it as a hardcover or paperback — and it even has a follow up sequel!

One of my favorites. I adore Elisa Kleven and this completely unique, lyrical, charming, joyous, fresh, and artistic "princess" story. I buy it for everyone!

Excellent! I bought this for a 5-year-old whose parents were rather anti-princess (they didn't want to raise their daughter to be a frilly girly-girl). But this princess story is about kindness rather than looks (in fact, the princess begins her journey bald-headed!). The story and illustrations are charming. The book pairs nicely with Flower Fairies paper dolls, which are lovely & nature-themed instead of prissy.

Sweet story, beautiful illustrations...

This book fired my daughter's imagination and we had many different Paper Princesses around the house when she had finished.Go for it!

I bought this for my friend's little girl. It is a lovely story with beautiful, quite old-fashioned pictures with lots to look at. It is quite long, so for children with a good attention span!

Great story for the princess inside!