The Paper Princess

The Paper Princess

by Elisa Kleven

A gust of wind sends a paper princess flying. "Wait! I didn't finish you," cries the little girl who made her. "I'll finish myself," calls the princess, and the wind carries her away, over a meadow and a river, to a carnival and a town, until finally she finds her way home.

"Elisa Kleven's mixed-media collages are a kaleidoscope of color and activity, encompassing a vast, multiracial cast of happy people?"  (Publishers Weekly) .

"The best book yet from this talented author/illustrator, and one that children will love." — School Library Journal , starred review

Elisa Kleven's award-winning picture books include her own Ernst and The Lion and the Little Red Bird , the illustrations for Abuela , by Arthur Dorros, and her most recent book for Dutton, The Puddle Pail . She lives near San Francisco, California.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Art, Adventure, Fantasy, Princesses, Fiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Elisa Kleven is the author and/or illustrator of over 30 childrens picture books. Favorites with children and adults alike, Elisa's books have received awards and honors from the American Library Association, The New York Times , The Junior Library Guild, School Library Journal, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Her pictures from Abuela are part of a traveling show organized by the Minnesota Children's Museum, and her story The Paper Princess has been adapted for two theater productions, one in Ireland and the other in California. Elisa lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and pets. To learn more about Elisa and her books, please visit her web site: www.elisakleven.com

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could have heard a pin drop when we read this one aloud.

[Mir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl is making a paper doll of a princess when the wind blows it away. The paper princess has many adventures while trying to find her way home.

The colorful, crowded, energetic mixed media illustrations are the high point of this book. There are innumerable details, and restless children may be kept busy finding sets, such as which treats are being eaten at the carnival and how many dogs are in the houses-at-night scene.

[Makenzie Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another from my kid's book haul! This book instantly caught my eye with its unique illustrations! The story turned out to be so sweet and actually had some layers to it! And of course, the illustrations were gorgeous throughout!

[Myshell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet book. The princess in the story is a paper doll. A little girl makes her and loses her before she puts on the hair. The princess is carried away by the wind, on an adventure to find her own hair. But, she misses the girl and finds her way back home. Very sweet! Beautiful illustrations.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little girl makes a paper doll but before she can give her hair, she blows away to have an adventure.

Ages: 5 - 8

Cleanliness: someone says "My gracious!"

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Andrew Oh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for preschoolers/school age. Good story, great illustrations. A lot going on.

[Betsey Stahler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved this book (me too) and would check it out often from the library when they were young. Love the story but the illustrations are lovely. A timeless book.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun introduction to the paper princess and her first adventure.

Have to say, my favorite was the book 2 in the series,
"The Paper Princess Finds Her Way"

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a girl that makes a princess with paper, she draws her a dress and makes her look pretty but the little girl don't know what to put for her hair. The girl is very happy with her princess and start playing with her when suddenly the wind talks her away. As the princess flew she tried on different things to put as her hair but nothing really fitted. The princess was flying to different places, she was at a carnival, around town and then she fell in a trash can at a school. There another girl found her and tried to give her hair but she failed and threw it to the trash. Suddenly a bird got her and helped her find her owner and she did. The little girl was so happy princess was back she made other friends. I will leave the end for you to discover when toy read the end of the story.

-The book has very colorful images, gives the impression that its spring time. The illustrations look like they were made with water colors, and each has a lot of details specially the landscape. The author uses frames for most of the images and some bleed for other pages. The font of the book looks like it fits a fairytale story, which goes with the main character paper princess.

-The plot for this book was very good in my opinion, is very imaginative and creative. I think this is a book that mostly girls would enjoy; maybe boys would lose interest quickly because it talks mostly about the princess and the girl. It’s an adventure book where the reader doesn’t know what to expect because it's not the typical story about a girl playing with toys. The author was very creative, I would never think of that storyline. It is a cute story about having hope, being adventurous, and kind. To be honest I was scared when the bird found the paper princess that the bird would use the paper princess or rip her to pieces.

[Maddie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisa Kleven's storybook "The Paper Princess" tells about a young girl who uses so much imagination to draw up a beautiful paper princess one day, cuts her out of the square paper and takes her to play on her swing to think of a good way to give her paper doll her hair and then suddenly the wind blows the Paper Princess away and she starts on her adventure to find her hair so she can finish what the little girl started.The Paper Princess makes friends along the way and they help her to finish the parts of her that the little girl didn't finish and then in the end the Paper Princess and the little girl are reunited at last.

Kleven's illustrations throughout the book may be the first thing that grabs anyones attention who looks at the book. The illustrations are so unique and beautifully well done that makes you want to see the beautiful story that's being told. In other words I think it's the authors unique illustrations that grab potential readers attention, not the story description. But the story itself is just as stunning as the illustrations. The page that I feel to be the most poetically written and illustrated is when the Paper Princess is being carried by the wind of the city at night. Kleven illustrated this section of the book where you see into the snuggly little houses of the town and showing kids all across the city being tucked into bed. Kleven includes various cultures in this section as well adding even more beautiful culture and color to the story. This story has so many great meanings to it as well such as; sometimes in life you may be rejected by someone you have good faith in but it's not the end of the world. Also that family can come in all different shapes and sizes.

[Romelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whimsical collage art and the fantasy nature of the story makes this read like a fairy tale. The Paper Princess, about a paper doll that is blown away and comes to life, will definitely feed the imagination of the readers. Story of hope, friendship, and love. What is extra special about the book is its metaphor. The inside flap reference to metaphor: Children must finish themselves which they do by an age-old process of venturing forth from home to experience the world, and the returning, over and again. A timeless book for all.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story with beautiful, complex illustrations. The illustrations tell a tale in themselves, even without the imaginative narrative told by the words. I love this children's tale. It is a great book to read to my children, and a great book that they can flip through, look at the pictures and enjoy the tale told in the pictures on their own.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a little girl who makes a paper princess only to have her fly away in the wind before she can draw on her hair. The rest of the story follows the princess on her adventures as she tries to get back to the little girl (and find some hair). We loved reading this story and the pretty pictures were definitely a bonus.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, fun to read aloud. Inspiring to my 5year old who is a great artist but sometimes gets frustrated (but who promptly made a paper princess after reading this). Extolls the virtues of a handmade paper toy and shows value is in the eye of the beholder. :)

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this one to share with my daughter because I like Elisa Kleven's art. I think it will make a great Picture Book Preschool activity for my blog to make our own paper princess dolls. Perhaps we can include a friend or two to make cooperative art like in the story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read-aloud for the littles. I absolutely love the illustrations in this book. I had all kinds of paper princesses (and princes and animals) floating around my house for weeks after we read this. It really sparked the girls' imaginations.

[Nisah Haron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another picture book for children! A moving story about a "paper princess" made by a little girl. The princess was blown away, since she was made of paper and the story is about her journey home. I like the naive-art used as the illustration.

[Siomara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because the paper doll's adventure reminds me of how we all grow up. A parent tries to raise you and sculpt you into the best person you can be but sometimes it's your experiences and the people you meet that helps you discover who you truly are.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book as it has always been one of my favorite childhood stories to read with my mom. I received it for Christmas when I was very young and was immediately intrigued by the pictures and adventurous story line!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A student read this aloud last week and it's a wonderful book. The story and illustration would appeal to anyone over the age of 1. A must have book for your shelf!

[J.j. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We had to make our own princess after reading this, and she had to sleep with Alla, and has since been taped a bunch. Super warm, charming story.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enchanting story with beautiful detailed illustrations. I loved that the princess was bald. Would have enjoyed reading this one aloud to my girls.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cute little story. Mara enjoyed it. We ended up drawing paper princesses after we got done with it. And we have read it over and over again.





July 17, 2012

[Mike Spinak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The paper Princess is an odd but interesting story. Parts of it are a little intense for younger listeners, though it seems to be written for that age. The illustrations are beautiful.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

46 months - A very creative story, we very much enjoyed it.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely enthralled with the illustrations by this illustrator. They are magically gorgeous!

[Jennybug · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. It would be fun to read and then to let little girls make a paper
princess, just for fun or even for a Birthday party. I love the illustrations.

[Jenifer Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story and gorgeous pictures. Quickly has become one of Lily's favorites!

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story with a delightful message and superb illustrations!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect story for my art-and-craft loving children.