Books about princesses that aren't anti-feminist

When my daughter was 3 years old, she started loving princesses. And by “loving”, I mean she became so obsessed that if I tried to dress her in anything that wasn’t pink, tulle and sequined, she’d throw a tantrum that would make Elsa’s Marshmallow bodyguard quiver with fright. The corollary to this passion was that she only wanted my husband and I to read princess books to her. And since we learn so much about life through reading, this sucked. Princesses -- particularly the ones I grew up with -- are passive and regressive and reliant on their physical beauty. None of these are qualities I wanted my daughter to idolize.

Fortunately, I discovered new princess books that didn’t teach my daughter how to be a passive creampuff, or even how to wear a tiara. In fact, quite a few books about princesses were fun and entertaining and even had a progressive message or two hidden in the pages. So if you find yourself like me, with a little girl who’s fallen down the Disney rabbit hole, don’t despair. Reading can still be a positive experience with these books.

The Paper Bag Princess

by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Princess Elizabeth has a fabulous castle, beautiful clothing and a handsome fiancé named Ronald. Her royal life is all planned out until one day a fire-breathing dragon comes along and spoils everything. The real fun begins when Elizabeth, who must now dress herself in a paper bag, takes charge of the narrative. The dragon is no match for our clever Princess, and when her dubious fiancé Ronald turns out to not be such a great catch after all, Elizabeth knows just what to do. A surprising and subversive take on the classic fairytale.

The Princess in Black

by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Princess Magnolia dresses in frilly pink dresses and serves hot chocolate and scones to visiting duchesses. But beneath the prim and proper exterior lurks a strong and determined superhero -- The Princess in Black. With the help of Magnolia’s horse -- who turns into “Frimplepants the unicorn” -- and her suspicious friend “Duff the goat boy,” Princess Magnolia triumphs over big blue monsters while busting stereotypes about appropriate princess attire and behavior. The Princess in Black is an ideal first chapter book for little girls.

Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu

by Ylleya Fields, illustrated by Michael LaDuca

Everyone knows that Little Princess love tutus. And so does Princess Cupcake, who wears her tutu whether she’s finding bugs, painting or doing cartwheels. But on the morning when her portrait will be painted, Princess Cupcake wakes up in her messy room to find that her tutu has gone missing. Cupcake searches her palace and cleans her room, discovering lost treasures of her childhood. She learns the importance of putting her things away while racing against the clock to find her beloved item of princess clothing.

Princess Smartypants

by Babette Cole

Princess Smartypants is a much sought after bride, what with her good looks and her wealth and everything. She’s not interested though, because what Smartypants really wants is for the princes to leave her alone so she can hang out with her pets. When her parents pressure her to get married, this Princess must outsmart them and her smarmy suitors with a series of ridiculous and hilarious trials.

Rufferella

by Vanessa Gill-Brown and Mandy Stanley

Diamante is a girl who loves Cinderella. But what really excites her about the story is the fairy godmother character, because she’s the one who makes things happen. Following the lead of her hero, Diamente decides to turn her dog Ruff into a human, and so begin Ruferella’s adventures. With a light-hearted, endearing plot -- Ruferella is ultimately invited to dine with the queen -- this story subtly teaches young readers about self-acceptance.

Zog

by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Zog, a Dragon-in-training, must learn the art of flying, fire-breathing, and princess-capturing. But he’d be nowhere without the help a kind girl with medical talent who patches up his wounds and gives him peppermints to sooth his hoarse throat. When Zog must capture a princess, the grown-up girl reveals herself to be Princess Pearl. A knight comes to rescue Pearl but she’s not having any of it. Instead, Princess Pearl teaches both the student dragons and the knight about what’s really important, and sets about achieving her own happy ending.

Devorah Blachor is the author of THE FEMINIST’S GUIDE TO RAISING A LITTLE PRINCESS, and has written for The New York Times Motherlode, The Huffington Post, McSweeney’s, Redbook, and Good Housekeeping, among many others. Follow her on Twitter.

This Week's Teachable Moment

"This morning, I placed a lightly used pad on top of the toilet while I took a shower. My 3.5 year old saw it and asked what it was. My husband replied, 'Mommy uses that to catch the blood when she's on her period.' DD3: 'Catch the blood? Good job, Mommy!' I'm pretty sure she didn't understand, but it somehow was really nice to be congratulated for dealing with my period anyway. Tucking that nugget away for ~8 yrs, so I can return the favor..." -- Dori Wittham