Book Review: Princess Bubble by Susan Johnston | Woman Tribune

Book Review: Princess Bubble by Susan Johnston | Woman Tribune

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SEPTEMBER 2009

Breaking the Princess Stereotype: Princess Bubble

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/04/17/breaking-the-p…rincess-bubblebreaking-the-princess-stereotype-princess-bubble/



The feminist, eco-mom's lament: What to do about princesses!

For the first two years of my daughter's life, I shielded her from fairy tales and Disney movies about happily ever after and surrounded her with books about animals and nature. Then, she met a little girl that would become her best friend, who also introduced her to the world of Disney Princesses. I was happy my daughter had formed a strong relationship with another child, but there was no returning to our blissful, royalty-free days.
Breaking princess stereotypes

I've read several stories that try to break the princess stereotype, such asCinder Edna and The Paper Bag Princess. Princess Bubble, written by Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb, is the story of a princess who is beautiful, a graduate of Royal University, employed by Royal Heir Line, and is happy with her life. As her other princess friends begin to marry their princes, Princess Bubble is pressured by the queen to find a prince.
But, Bubble did not believe just any prince would bring her "happily ever after." Yet the fairy tales said she must find HER prince! So she put on her thinking crown and re-read the fairy tales for clues on where to find her prince. She soon realized that unlike the other princesses, She was not trapped in a dungeon...She had no wicked stepsisters or stepmother...She did not know any dwarfs...Nor did she live under the sea. But the most confusing part was...She was already happy!

Finally, a story about a princess that does not need a prince. Although, I do wish Princess Bubble had a different career, as it appears in the illustrations that she is an airline stewardess. If the author really intended to break stereotypes, Bubble would have been a pilot. I also think the name Bubble is a little strange, as if her name implies she is living in a bubble by not following tradition and marrying a prince, or perhaps it is the princess stereotype bubble she is bursting.

How would your child define a princess?

I asked my six-year-old daughter to describe a princess to me. Here is her description:

nice

beautiful

pretty

kind

lives in a castle

wears pink and purple

marries a prince (UGH!)


After she gave me her list, I asked her if a princess has to marry a prince. She answered, "No, because Princess Bubble couldn't find one." Thank you Princess Bubble! Of course, I would add to the list that a princess is an environmentalist that uses her royal clout to pass strong environmental regulations to curb climate change, but then again, my daughter is only six!

Single Girls This Holiday Live A Fairy Tale Life!
Atlanta, GA, September 9, 2009--This Christmas season thousands of single belles will hang their silk stockings and say their prayers before a quick night’s sleep-then it’s off to work they go. This ever growing group of Carols, Noels, and Merrys will shop, party and cook as they celebrate the holidays with families and friends. Two successful single gals will ring in the New Year with a resolution; offering parents an updated version of the traditional fairy tale. No longer a “Damsel in Distress,” this princess travels the world, helps others, and finds “happily ever after” even before she finds her Prince.


With wisdom gleaned from their careers as independent, globe-trotting flight attendants, first-time authors Susan Johnston Hamrick and Kimberly Webb have crafted a new generation of fairy tales that celebrates singleness and self worth. A contemporary fairy tale for all ages, Princess Bubble was written to reduce the overwhelming sense of failure, self-doubt, and despair that many youth face.

“Knowing how low self-esteem and depression plague many single females, we wanted to spread the message that ‘happily ever after’ can occur even before Prince Charming arrives. . . or even if he never does,” said Webb.

“We’re definitely not anti-Prince,” said Johnston (whose college nickname was “Bubble”). “We’re not anti-family or anti-marriage, if anything we’re anti-‘Damsel in Distress.’ Our message—the single life can also be a fairy tale. The End.”

Princess Bubble stars a princess who is confused by the traditional fairy tale messages that say she must find her “prince” before she can live “happily ever after.” Princess Bubble dons her “thinking crown” to research traditional fairy tales, interviews married girlfriends, and even takes counsel from her mother, who advises her to sign up at FindYourPrince.com. With a little help from her fairy godmother (this is still a fairy tale after all), Ms. Bubble discovers that “living happily ever after” is not about finding a prince. “True happiness,” the book reveals, “is found by loving God, being kind to others, and being comfortable with who you are already.”

“We’ve had countless women all over the nation tell us they wish there had been a book like this when they were young,” said Webb. “This is a story women can truly believe in and feel comfortable sharing with their children.”

"Recently, my life took an unexpected turn I NEVER expected for myself and I met a prince. This relationship has made me even more passionate about the message of Princess Bubble because we both feel so strongly about being happy first and then as secure happy people you are able to encourage each other to fulfill their dreams and be a better person. Not expect the other person to be the dream."

—Susan Johnston Hamrick, Princess Bubble author


As seen on The Today Show and CNN.




www.PrincessBubble.com