The Paper Bag Princess

Hey All!

As you all know, I am in teachers college. One of the things that I was tasked to do within the first few weeks, was to share the moment that inspired my love for literacy. This was one of the most difficult tasks that I have ever had to complete. I have never been one of those people who has thought that I had one of those moments. When I am asked why I want to be a teacher, I tell people I don’t know, I just did. I love working with children and teaching them. But I never had a moment.

Wagar, E. (2015). Literacy Story Mindmap [concept map].

I got really discouraged trying to complete this assignment. I could not think of anything. After some severe brainstorming and some crying, I finally decided to make a mind map of all the things that I could think of. Eventually, after some internal wrestling, I picked what I felt my biggest inspiration was. This is my story.

The Paper Bag Princess was a story that played a huge role in my life as a literacy learner. This is one of the first books that I loved from the moment I heard it, and I have loved it ever since. The story of how I fell in love with this book is probably one you have heard before, but I think that it’s worth sharing.

Wagar, E. (2015, September 30). The Paper Bag Princess.

When I was in elementary school… I believe it was grade one, my teacher said she was going to read a book to us. Of course I was excited, this was always a good time of day. But today was different. As soon as she started reading this book, I knew I loved it. It honestly had nothing to do with the story itself, or the illustrations. But once she read the words “Elizabeth was a beautiful princess”, I was hooked. Yes, that is correct. I fell in love with a book because the main character and I shared one very important detail about ourselves. Our name.

Wagar, E. (2015, September 30). Elizabeth the Princess.

Of course I pretended to be all shy and embarrassed. But I wasn’t. There was a character in a book, and she was named after me. Even though my name is pretty common, that never happens. I listened to the rest of the story and was very intrigued. I went home and begged my parents for this book. I wanted this book. I loved this book. My parents did what they could to get me off of begging them, but it didn’t really work. Eventually they gave in, but I didn’t really find out until I received the book as a present for my birthday at the end of the school year. I was so excited. I had my parents read this story to me over and over again.

I did all of this because I had the same name as the main character of the book, and reading it made me feel like I was the princess, and when I was younger, I loved being a princess.

Wagar, C. (1997). Bridesmaid.

Eventually, after reading the book so many times, I learned that it had so many good qualities. The book was funny, and the main character was a modern day heroine. She went after what she wanted and did not stop until she got it. Elizabeth did not sit around and wait for a prince to come and rescue her. She went out and did something about her problem, even if she did have to wear a paper bag. She also saw Ronald's true colours and was able to call him out on them. She was able to tell him that just because he looked good, did not mean that he was a kind person. She was clever, and smart, and someone I could really look up to. This book has so many messages within the story that children can learn something from it.

The Paper Bag Princess is the book that has helped me to develop a love for literacy. I became more interested in reading and owning books. It was after this book that I became more interested in the qualities that characters possessed. I found that I really became interested in characters and how relatable they are. No, not all characters have my name. In fact, I haven’t found any that do. I always found that I could relate to Elizabeth, and that she was someone I aspired to be like. It was after reading her story that I found I like to see characters that I can relate to and that have qualities I want to obtain.

Wagar, E. (2015, September 30). Elizabeth is cunning.

Not only has it helped me to discover who I am as a reader, but I also love using this book to help teach children. I have used this book in a preschool placement along with a felt board I made.

Wagar, E. (2012). Paper Bag felt board.

The children did not understand the morals of the story as much as I hoped. However, I know that this is a story that they remembered because they would bring up the dragon character in outdoor play. Not only do I love to teach with this book, but I also like to simply share it. Whenever I know someone who is having a baby, this is the book that I get for them. I love sharing this book with other children, and I love seeing their reactions to it.

This book has always played an important role in my life. I may have begun to love it for a somewhat silly reason, but it turned into a long
love of literacy.

Loving this book has shown me that children should be given opportunities to look at and read different texts, because as educators, we never know what may spark their interest and love of reading. Always give students a chance to explore different materials!

Karen. (2007, February 3). Christine's shower-8
[online image] retrieved from flickr

Ask yourself… What are you going to do to help spark a child's interest and help them to discover their love for literacy? What event, text, or person helped to spark your love for literacy? I know that I will be asking myself these questions. Especially as I am planning for my students.

I heard this book in a grade one classroom, and I have loved it ever since. I don’t think I will ever stop loving it. 

- Elizabeth





PS. Here, have a listen to Robert Munsch reading the story!



Enjoy!