Saturday, August 23, 2008
Princess Bubble
Working with first grade students, I got to see a little window into the interests of 6, 7 & sometimes 8 year olds. From my experience, there were certain commonalities throughout schools & students. I don't want to be accused of 'Betty Crockering', but many (not all) girls were quite obsessed with one thing... PRINCESSES!!! *Disney* princesses particularly. There is a new children's book out there that I think can be an important counter-part for children with this obsession. If you've ever read A Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, you may see a couple similarities...

The name of the book is Princess Bubble. "Princess Bubble is a 35-page, modern-day fairy tale starring a well-employed, globe-trotting, good-friend, good-date, helpful-neighbor princess who is confused by the traditional fairy tale message that implies she must find her “prince” before she can live “happily ever after.” Princess Bubble is also a college graduate & homeowner. In the book, she works as a Flight Attendant.

Although I think it would be even better to show Princess Bubble as an Ambassador, Business CEO, Firefighter, or basically anything that is not considered pink collar... this book seems to be on the right track. The authors, Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb, added, "We are not anti-prince. We are anti-damsel in distress. True happiness comes from within and is to be shared. We can't make someone else responsible for our happiness." (CNN)